Fears in Gaza Over World’s Attention Shifting to Lebanon

An injured man comforting a woman during a funeral for victims killed in Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct 2. There has been no sign of a let-up in Israel's offensive against Hamas, with local medics reporting on Oct 3 at least 99 Palestinian deaths in the previous 24 hours. PHOTO: AFP

CAIRO – Palestinians fear the crisis in Lebanon is diverting the world's attention from Gaza, where Israeli strikes killed dozens more people this week, and diminishing already dim prospects for a ceasefire a year into a war that has shattered the enclave.

An escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah over the past two weeks has led to clashes between Israeli and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and fueled fears of a wider regional war.

Both Israel and its Hamas foes in Gaza say the Lebanon conflict could help end the Gaza conflict, but some analysts, officials from mediating countries and Gazans are skeptical.

“The focus is on Lebanon, which means the war in Gaza isn't ending any time soon,” Mr. Hussam Ali, a 45-year-old Gaza City resident who said his family has been displaced seven times since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, told Reuters.

When Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel late on Oct. 1, provoking an Israeli promise of a “painful” response, some Gazans welcomed the salvo visible in the skies overhead as a sign that Tehran was fighting for their cause.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said prospects for a Gaza ceasefire deal, which would see the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and Palestinians jailed by Israel, were distant before the escalation in Lebanon. A regional conflagration could lead to pressure on Israel to strike a deal in Gaza, he said.