A new year and a new season of The New Arab Voice podcast. 

This week, we continue with the story that has dominated the Middle since October: the war in Gaza. 

While we were away the violence did not cease nor slow down. The death toll has now passed 23,000, the vast majority women and children. Additionally, over 60,000 have been injured. 

There have been developments related to the war in Gaza that have occurred beyond Gaza's borders. The first is the killing of Hamas deputy Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut on 2 January, and the second is South Africa's genocide filing at the International Court of Justice. 

This week we look at the killing of Arouri and examine what it means for the prospect of the war in Gaza escalating into a wider regional conflict. Will Hezbollah join the fight and open a second front in northern Israel? Will Iran launch a direct strike against Israel? And how will Iran use its network of militias in the region?

Secondly, we look at the recent filing by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, where Israel was accused of committing genocide. Will the filing be able to stop the violence in Gaza? Will it create a path for accountability? Will the filing work as a part of a pressure campaign?

To guide us through the prospects of an escalating conflict we're joined by Dr. Hamidreza Azizi (@HamidRezaAz), a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International Security Affairs (@SWPBerlin). 

And to help us understand what has unfolded at the International Court of Justice, we speak with Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany), the Executive Director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (@TimepDC).

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This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). 

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice.

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