2024: A look back in pictures

For humanity, democracy and tolerance, against hatred and racism: Hundreds of thousands demonstrated against right-wing extremism and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in January. At least 50,000 people gathered in Hamburg (seen above). The march was triggered by the revelation of right-wing plans that included the deportation of people with a migration background.

A civil war has been raging in Sudan since April 2023, amid a power struggle between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. More than 14 million people have been displaced by the fighting, such as these people in January 2024, and over 25 million are suffering from acute hunger. The UN has described the situation in Sudan as the biggest humanitarian disaster in the world.

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny died on February 19 at the age of 47, under unexplained circumstances in a Siberian penal colony. Internationally seen as a political prisoner, Navalny's fight against corruption and the authoritarian Russian regime earned him a 19-year prison sentence for "extremism." He was buried in a Moscow cemetery without an independent autopsy.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic, with Israel not allowing enough food deliveries into the sealed-off coastal strip. Gaza is at high risk of famine, and 90% of the 2 million Palestinians there are suffering from malnutrition. In February and then again in May, Israeli protesters gathered at border crossings to prevent aid trucks from entering Gaza.

More than 140 people were killed and 360 injured in an assault on a concert hall in the Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk in March, in the deadliest attack in Russia in 20 years. The so-called "Islamic State" (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack. Numerous suspects were arrested shortly afterward and put on trial. They had obviously been severely abused.

On April 1, the partial legalization of marijuana came into force in Germany. Adults are now allowed to carry up to 25 grams (about 1 ounce) of cannabis and grow up to three marijuana plants per adult resident at home. In public, smoking pot remains prohibited within 200 meters (660 feet) of schools, day care centers, playgrounds, youth facilities and sports facilities.

After years of legal battles and five years in British custody, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his native Australia as a free man in June. The whistleblower had published secret material on war crimes committed by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the United States, he was facing up to 175 years in prison. A deal with the US judiciary made his release possible.

On July 8, Russian forces once again fired missiles at Ukrainian cities, in one of the most devastating Russian airstrikes since the start of the war in February 2022. Dozens of people were killed, and a children's hospital in Kyiv was hit. According to UN figures, the war had claimed at least 12,340 civilian lives by the end of November 2024, including 667 children.

On July 13, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. A 20-year-old man opened fire and injured Trump in the ear. The perpetrator was shot dead by security forces. Trump only suffered a minor injury and was released from hospital after a short time.

October 7 marked the first anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. Nearly 1,200 people were murdered and about 250 hostages were taken into Gaza. Relatives and friends throughout Israel commemorated the victims. There were also protests for the release of about 100 hostages still being held in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accused of not doing enough to rescue them.

He was considered the mastermind behind the Hamas massacre in Israel. Just over a year after the brutal attacks, Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip on October 16. A drone video is said to have captured his last moments. Sinwar had only been appointed leader of Hamas in August: the previous head of the militia, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an attack in Tehran in July.

"Shame must change sides": With this demand, Gisele Pelicot became a new symbol of feminism. For years, her husband had recruited men on the internet to rape his anesthetized wife. He and 50 other defendants were found guilty in late December. Pelicot insisted on a public trial to draw attention to sexual violence in France and around the world.

On November 5, Donald Trump won the US presidential election after taking the crucial swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and North Carolina. International observers are concerned about how Trump's second presidency will affect the war against Ukraine, the Middle East conflict and the fight against climate change.

On November 6, the coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner for breach of trust. The SPD and Greens now govern without a majority in the Bundestag. On December 16, Scholz lost a vote of confidence in the Bundestag. An early election is now planned for February 23.

In January, South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Israel has rejected these actions. At least 45,000 people have been killed by Israel in Gaza, though some estimates are far higher.

In Syria and around the world, many people are celebrating the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar Assad. The advance of the Islamist rebels ended the 61-year rule of the Baath regime within 10 days. Around 600,000 people fell victim to the brutality of the Assad dictatorship. Tens of thousands were tortured and murdered in the regime's prisons.