Gaza’s ceasefire had some momentum. Now, some worry a brand new warfare will distract the world | EUROtoday

Some Palestinians say they worry the widening warfare sparked by U.S. and Israeli assaults in opposition to Iran might overshadow the delicate state of affairs in Gaza, simply over per week after U.S. President Donald Trump rallied billions of {dollars} in pledges for the territory’s reconstruction and tried to nudge a ceasefire ahead.

Residents say they’re petrified of neglect and deprivation, with Israel within the wake of the weekend strikes closing all crossings into their shattered territory of over 2 million individuals.

Palestinians informed The Associated Press they have been dashing to markets, haunted by reminiscences of painful meals shortage final yr beneath months of Israel’s blockade. Part of Gaza, round Gaza City, was discovered to be in famine.

“When the crossings shut down, everything was suspended from the market,” said Osamda Hanoda from Khan Younis. “The prices go up, and people live in misery.”

Reports show prices of goods rising sharply

The shaky Israel-Hamas ceasefire had led to more humanitarian aid and other supplies entering Gaza, even as the United Nations and aid partners say more of everything from basic medical supplies to fuel is needed.

Now, Palestinians are hoarding again, with reports of prices rising sharply for basic goods such as bags of flour.

“We are afraid of not finding milk” and diapers for the kids, or food and water, said Hassan Zanoun, who was displaced from Rafah.

COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza, did not respond to a request for comment Sunday. In its announcement of the closings, it asserted that the food supply inside the territory “is expected to suffice for an extended period.” It added that the rotation of humanitarian employees out and in of Gaza is postponed.

It was not clear when any crossing may reopen. Israeli authorities centered on Iran, and residents dashed repeatedly for shelter as sirens wailed.

Ramadan is disrupted

The warfare in Gaza started with the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and it has been marked from the beginning by restrictions on individuals and provides being allowed into the territory — and terrified individuals, together with medical evacuees in want of therapy, getting out.

A month in the past, Gaza’s major Rafah border crossing with the skin world — its solely crossing not with Israel — reopened, permitting a small and tightly managed movement of Palestinian site visitors in each instructions. No cargo was allowed via.

Now all crossings are closed once more in the course of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time of chosen deprivation, night feasts and prayer. Images have proven Palestinians lined up at lengthy tables in the course of bombed-out particles.

The strikes on Iran shook that routine.

“All the people rushed to markets, and they all wanted to shop and hide,” mentioned Abeer Awwad, who was displaced from Gaza City, as phrase of the explosions in Tehran started to unfold.

Under the Oct. 10 U.S.-brokered ceasefire, the heaviest preventing has subsided, although common Israeli hearth continues in Gaza. The U.N. World Food Program has famous progress within the enclave however mentioned in its newest meals safety evaluation final week that starvation stays.

“Households reported an average of two meals per day in February 2026, compared to one meal in July,” it said. “Still, one in five households consumed only one meal daily.”

A problem for support teams and others

Refocusing the world’s consideration on Gaza is a problem for support teams and others as Iran scrambles for brand spanking new management and explosions proceed in Tehran, Israel and across the Middle East.

Trump has mentioned bombing in Iran might proceed via the week or longer, and warned Tehran of “A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!” if it escalates assaults.

It’s a dramatic flip from Trump’s launch lower than two weeks in the past of his new Board of Peace, a gathering of world leaders that’s aimed toward ending the warfare in Gaza however has ambitions of resolving conflicts elsewhere.

Even with that bump in momentum on Gaza, main challenges stay for the ceasefire. They embody disarming Hamas, assembling and deploying a global stabilization pressure, and getting a newly appointed Palestinian committee meant to control Gaza into the territory.

As the Middle East turns to a different warfare, some Palestinians see a profit: Israel’s army is distracted.

“The good thing is that the sound of booms and demolitions is rare now near the yellow line,” mentioned Ahmed Abu Jahl, of Gaza City, talking concerning the line dividing Gaza and marking out roughly half the territory managed by Israeli forces.

“Even the drones, they’re nonetheless flying overhead, however their quantity has gone down.”

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Ezzidin reported from Cairo and Anna from Lowville, New York.

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Find extra of AP’s protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war