Gaza, Mar 9 (EFE).– Gazans are viewing the Israeli-American war against Iran with fear that the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will collapse, uncertainty about the flow of aid, and a widespread feeling that the world has forgotten them, as they continue to live in tents amidst the destruction.
“This war has overshadowed the suffering in Gaza,” said Abed Musleh from Gaza City, pointing out that the war had stalled the implementation of the US-brokered ceasefire, under which a Palestinian committee was to guide the reconstruction and the Islamist group Hamas was to lay down its arms in favor of an international force that has yet to materialize.
“There is no reconstruction, no humanitarian aid, no support whatsoever,” said Abed, who condemned the attacks by Israel and the US on Iran, a “great nation” that, he emphasized, supports the Palestinian cause, but also criticized Iranian attacks on Arab countries in the region.
After launching its offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, Israel closed all the crossings into Gaza through which aid enters the devastated enclave, and decided three days later to open only one of them, Kerem Shalom, through which much less aid is entering than in previous weeks.
According to UN data, between Feb. 28 and Mar. 8, a total of 397 trucks arrived at the Kerem Shalom crossing with aid, but only 57 were picked up from there, and none of them managed to reach their destination inside Gaza. The previous week—from Feb. 21 to 28—448 trucks reached their final destination in the Strip.
Jair Abdul Rahman, another Palestinian from Gaza City, fears that Israel will close all entry points for food, gasoline, shelter, and medicine into Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people still live in tents due to the widespread destruction of buildings and infrastructure during Israel’s more than two-year offensive.
“The war with Iran affects us in Gaza, (the attacks) in Israel affect us at the border crossings, with food and water. If they close everything, nothing will come,” said Jair, who predicted a rise in food prices in a private market that few Gazans—many unemployed for two years—can afford.
Abu Muhammad Al Safi pointed out that, after burying their loved ones, rebuilding their lives, and constructing their tents, Gaza was now supposed to enter the reconstruction phase.
“And then, they start a new regional war in the area. This means they’ve forgotten about the Gaza Strip and will cause even greater destruction than we suffered in those two years of brutal war,” he said.
Abu Muhammad even wondered if the regional crisis would lead to a third world war. “These are powerful countries, not small ones,” he reflected.
All the Gazans interviewed agreed that the attack on Iran comes at a very difficult time for them.
“It’s truly terrible. Nobody could have imagined it, nobody expected it,” said Menawar Muhammad Al Rai.
“Everyone is afraid the crossings will be closed, that we’ll have another war after the truce,” she added. EFE
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