Today, our reporters look to the Middle East, at Hamas’ motivation for its attack on Israel and at how Israelis’ collective loss has drawn the country together, setting aside political divisions.

But amid the flood of news this weekend, a troubling story also unfolded in Afghanistan, where a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the western province of Herat on Saturday, leveling entire villages and claiming nearly 3,000 lives, according to national authorities. Search and rescue missions are ongoing. Violent aftershocks have many in Herat’s capital sleeping in the streets, and families in harder-to-reach areas spend their days shoveling through rubble in search of loved ones.

The impoverished country, battered by decades of war, was already struggling with a mounting economic crisis and prolonged drought. Afghanistan has long relied on international aid to buoy its economy, but financing plummeted after the Taliban reclaimed power in 2021. The takeover prompted a mass exodus of humanitarian groups and foreign aid workers, creating enormous logistical challenges for those who now want to help the Afghan people without benefiting the Taliban regime.

Still, aid is trickling in.

China, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey have all offered support, and a Saudi charity reportedly donated food and other materials worth $2 million to the Afghan Red Crescent Society. The United Nations has allocated $5 million to earthquake recovery efforts.
While Doctors Without Borders provides assistance to Herat Regional Hospital, various Islamic charities are busy distributing blankets, tents, medicine, and cash to families impacted by the disaster.

Workers on the ground say it’s not enough.

Mark Calder, advocacy lead at World Vision Afghanistan, told CNN that a slow response from the international community will cost lives. “The world must not look away now,” he said.