As Focus Shifts to Iran, Gaza Faces Escalating Famine, Massacres, and Global Neglect

Watan-Residents of Gaza fear being forgotten as the spotlight shifts to the escalating war between Israel and Iran, even as their own humanitarian crisis worsens dramatically. Food, medical, and environmental conditions are collapsing. Hunger has driven thousands to risk their lives at Israeli-controlled aid distribution points, which have been repeatedly targeted, killing over 300 Palestinians and injuring nearly 3,000, many of them women and children.

The UNRWA warned that Palestinians are being killed while trying to collect food under a deadly Israeli-American aid distribution mechanism, demanding accountability.

Despite announcing a redeployment of forces away from Gaza, Israel intensified attacks on tents sheltering displaced families and homes, particularly in northern Gaza and Khan Younis, leading to more massacres.

Israel appears to be using the Iran conflict to mask its continued war campaign against Gaza, while publicly adopting softer language to deflect international scrutiny. Daily massacres have continued unabated, with the Gaza Ministry of Health reporting over 55,500 dead and 129,000 injured since October 7, 2023. Thousands remain under rubble, unreachable due to Israeli bombardments and siege.

Israel also issued new evacuation orders, triggering more mass displacement toward already overcrowded areas in western Gaza and Khan Younis. Only a few aid trucks are allowed entry, and they are often forced to pass through densely populated areas, exposing them to looting and airstrikes.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini condemned Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian access, noting that “Gaza suffers relentlessly while global focus shifts elsewhere.” He warned that people are being killed while trying to access food from a “deadly distribution system”. The fuel crisis is also crippling medical, water, and sanitation services, with hospitals facing shutdown due to medicine and power shortages.

Meanwhile, Israel continues its military escalation. Talks of a ceasefire have collapsed since Israel’s assault on Iran began. Prime Minister Netanyahu claims the war will both destroy Hamas and secure the release of Israeli hostages. He reaffirmed that the Gaza displacement plan remains active, while National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi denied any progress in ceasefire negotiations.

Hamas official Basem Naim said:“Israel is using the flames it lit in the region to complete its crime in Gaza, away from global attention.”

To silence Gaza, Israel has cut telecommunications and internet access twice in one week, leaving people unable to call for help or rescue, and blocking journalists and aid workers from documenting ongoing atrocities.