Nearly six months after a fragile ceasefire came into force in Gaza, Palestinians in this war-torn territory are still struggling. In the markets, there are again shortages of some goods and rising prices – with merchants saying supplies brought in from Israel have been disrupted by the new war in the region.
What does the war between Iran and Israel have to do with us? Prices have doubled here. Goods aren't coming in like before, says a shopper, Hassan Faqawi, despairingly. In this situation, the whole world is focused on Iran, America and Israel, and Gaza is forgotten. While world attention has turned to the Iran war, there is increasing uncertainty about what happens in Gaza at a crucial stage in President Trump's 20-point peace plan, which halted the fighting in October last year.
In the past week at the UN Security Council, the High Representative for Gaza on the US-led Board of Peace, Nickolay Mladenov, laid out a detailed plan for Palestinian armed groups to decommission their weapons - linking compliance to the start of reconstruction.
But a Palestinian official familiar with Hamas affairs told the BBC it was likely that Hamas, whose October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war, would reject the proposals. That raises the prospect of a return to a full-force military offensive with Israel’s Prime Minister demanding that Hamas disarms either the easy way or the hard way. Heavy rain in recent weeks caused sewage systems to overflow in crowded tent camps.
Hamas has publicly welcomed the creation of a new 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee - an apolitical body to temporarily run Gaza - while also reasserting its control by appointing new police directors and establishing checkpoints. Traders and shopkeepers report heavy taxes imposed by Hamas are further inflating prices.
This situation has left many Gazans feeling abandoned and frustrated: Unfortunately, no one is controlling Gaza right now except Hamas, says a displaced woman, Hanaa. Despite international pledges for reconstruction, implementation appears stalled as aid and materials are slow to enter the region. In the interim, Gazans continue to face hardships while geopolitical tensions elsewhere monopolize global focus.
