Palestinians in Gaza are feeling abandoned amid a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, without a similar outcome for Gaza. As Israel’s security cabinet prepares to consider a US-backed ceasefire with Hezbollah, Palestinian voices in Gaza say they fear that Israel will step up its military campaign in the already-battered enclave, which has sustained over 14 months of unrelenting fighting and more than 44,000 deaths.

Ceasefire Talks Leave Gaza Isolated

The Iran-backed Hezbollah joined the conflict by launching rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas after the Palestinian militant group’s attack in October 2023 triggered the Gaza war. However, Hezbollah’s apparent willingness to drop its condition of linking Lebanon’s ceasefire to Gaza’s resolution has disappointed many Palestinians.

Displaced residents in Gaza, like Abdel-Ghani, rued over the perceived abandonment. “It showed Gaza is an orphan, with no support and no mercy from the unjust world,” he said. Another resident, Tamer Al-Burai, criticized Hezbollah’s decision, saying, “We are afraid the Israeli army will now have a free hand in Gaza.”

Stalled Diplomacy for Gaza

So far, Arab mediators, like Qatar and Egypt, with US support, failed to achieve a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Negotiations regarding the hostage’s release and the conflict will expire; Qatar now announced it would stop its role as mediator because nothing has been done.

The conflict began with the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli towns, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 250 people hostage. However, Israel keeps on being explicit in its resolve to eliminate Hamas in its entirety.

At the same time, US special envoy Brett McGurk will travel to Saudi Arabia today to talk about the possibility that a cease-fire in Lebanon might mean a more general end to the war. However, many people in Gaza do not think the pain is going to be dealt with without international intervention.

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Humanitarian Crisis Worsens

Months of battling have kept Gaza’s population at the mercy of daily bombings, hunger, and displacement. Zakeya Rezik, the mother of six, expressed the same sentiment concerning the people in the region: “Enough is enough. How many more should perish before they end the war? Gaza must not be forgotten.”.

As Israel draws closer to an agreement with Hezbollah, Palestinians in Gaza continue to hold out hope for settlement of their plight. Still, their pain forms part of the grim reality of a divide and elongated conflict – for now, at least.