Even after the third anniversary of the Oct. 7th attacks by Hamas on Israel, questions continue to surface. Was there a victory—and for whom? Who should answer for the failures that preceded the attack? And what comes next for Gaza, Hamas, Hezbollah and a region still struggling with war, devastation and broken alliances?
This week’s Friday Briefing looks beyond the headlines: from the enormous challenge of clearing Gaza’s 68 million tons of rubble and Hamas’ shrinking support, to Hezbollah’s transformation and Saudi Arabia’s changing approach to regional threats. We also examine the Gulf’s delicate technology balancing act between Washington and Beijing. Plus, is the Strait of Hormuz actually open or closed? Iran and Washington can’t seem to agree.
Three years later, the Oct. 7 war may have changed the region, but some of the biggest questions remain.
Welcome back to the MBN Friday Briefing, our roundup of the best stories on our Arabic-language Alhurra platform, also available in English. Read the Arabic version here and subscribe here. We’d love to hear from you at thebriefing@mbn-news.com.
This Week on MBN:
Victory or Accountability?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lays a wreath at the State Memorial Ceremony for the three years anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, October 5, 2026. DEBBIE HILL/Pool via REUTERS
Three years after Oct. 7, Israelis remain divided over whether the war has delivered a victory and who should answer for the failures that allowed the attack, reports Yehia Qasim. For Dani Rahamim, a resident of Nahal Oz (a farming kibbutz near the Gaza strip), real victory means returning home and rebuilding his life. Kibbutz chairman Ilan Morag says reestablishing trust between Israeli citizens and their government requires an independent investigation into what went wrong and who was responsible. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasizes the war’s achievements, while opposition figures and others continue to demand accountability and question whether the war’s costs could have been reduced.
Gaza’s Rubble: A Mountain Blocking Recovery
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a residential building that had been damaged in an earlier Israeli strike during the war and collapsed in Gaza City, September 17, 2026. Reuters/Dawoud Abu Al-Kass.
Gaza is now buried under an estimated 68 million tons of rubble, much of it mixed with unexploded ordnance, hazardous materials and human remains. The crisis has grown through successive wars, reports Mustafa Dahdouh. Moreover, weak coordination, limited equipment and inadequate funding have made cleanup increasingly difficult. Earlier efforts had millions of tons of rubble removed and recycled, but the latest war has created a problem at an unprecedented scale. Ruqayya Abu al-Rub, who heads Gaza’s Reconstruction Team, says clearing the debris could take about five years if enough heavy equipment, fuel and spare parts are available.
Hamas Loses Support, but No Rival Rises
A drone view shows Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm, in the West Bank, Sept.19, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman
Two years of war have weakened Hamas’ support in Palestinian refugee camps, but other factions are not benefiting from their disaffection. Displacement, unemployment and the loss of basic services have pushed many Palestinians to focus less on politics and more on necessities such as returning home, finding work and rebuilding their lives, reports Majdi Amin. Recent polling also points to declining support for Hamas, while many Palestinians say neither Hamas nor Fatah deserves to lead them. Overall, the war appears to have created a broader crisis of confidence in Palestinian political leaders rather than a clear new political alternative.
Hezbollah Is Weakened but Still Standing
A Hezbollah flag flutters amid rubble of destroyed buildings, in Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, Tyre district, southern Lebanon, June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
Three years after Oct. 7, Hezbollah has been transformed by the loss of its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah and many senior commanders. Its military networks have been badly hit, while the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria has weakened a key supply route from Iran. The group has restructured its military command and shifted toward a more decentralized organization to survive, writes Asrar Chbaro. The group remains politically and socially powerful but its once-formidable image of strength and invulnerability has been badly shaken.
When Death Is Turned Into a Cause
Joumana Haddad questions the familiar language of “sacrifice,” arguing that many people who died in war never chose to give their lives for a political cause. She says the victims of Oct. 7 who were killed or taken hostage, should not automatically have their suffering be used for political justification by governments or armed groups. Haddad argues that Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese civilians all have the right to question decisions made in their name, especially when those decisions put their lives at risk.
Saudi Arabia’s Restraint Reaches Its Limits
Aftermath of a Houthi attack on a Saudi oil installation in mid Sept. 2026
In May, Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington, defended Riyadh’s policy of restraint as a way to avoid a wider regional war. Now, he says “restraint is no longer applicable,” citing expanding Houthi attacks, strikes by Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces and earlier attacks by Iran itself. Restraint kept Saudi Arabia out of a major war but did not stop its adversaries from testing its limits and patience, argues Abdulaziz Al-Khamis in this MBN Magazine article. The next test, he writes, is to pair diplomacy with credible deterrence so adversaries stop reading Riyadh’s aversion to war as a willingness to absorb attacks.
Gulf States Caught Between Chinese Tech and U.S. AI Chips
News footage on a giant screen outside a shopping mall shows China’s President Xi Jinping (R) meeting with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Beijing on April 14, 2026. Pedro Pardo/AFP
Chinese investment in Saudi Arabia and the UAE is surging, especially in AI, cloud computing, digital payments, and technology infrastructure.
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are trying to preserve their strong ties with Washington while also benefiting from China’s capital and technological expertise, writes Zhou Yu and Mustafa Momani. But that balancing act is becoming harder as Washington conditions access to its most advanced AI chips on the removal of Chinese technology from critical Gulf networks. China seeks to expand its “Digital Silk Road” across the region, while Gulf states appear willing to absorb the cost of replacing some Chinese equipment to secure access to advanced U.S. technology.
Quote of the Week: Hormuz Closed and Open?
“The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have full control over it. This situation will continue until Iran’s legitimate demands are met.”
–Mohammad Reza Naghdi, senior IRGC adviser, Oct. 7, 2026
“The Straits of Hormuz are open. There’s almost as much oil flowing out now as there was before this conflict began. So they’ve lost complete control of the Straits.”
–Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state, Oct. 7, 2026
