While all eyes turn to Iran, Gaza suffers

As global attention shifts to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate. Amid mounting casualties, widespread hunger, and repeated attacks on aid distribution sites, humanitarian access remains dangerously limited.

Gazans say they have been abandoned by an international community all too ready to turn their attention elsewhere.

There have been near-daily reports of shootings resulting in the deaths of Palestinians trying to reach sites operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

On Monday, local health officials reported that at least 23 people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached a GHF distribution site in Rafah, in southern Gaza.

On Tuesday, a Gazans were killed by Israeli fire at an aid distribution site in Khan Younis. The World Health Organization said initial reports indicated at least 20 fatalities; the Hamas-controlled civil defence agency claimed at least 50.

Videos shared on social media, purportedly of the aftermath, showed bodies – some badly mutilated – scattered over a wide area, alongside damaged vehicles. Videos filmed by staff at Nasser Hospital, where the dead and wounded were taken, showed bodies piled high on donkey-drawn carts outside the emergency department.

The Israeli army said it was investigating the incident. “Earlier today, Gazans were identified gathering next to an aid truck that got stuck in Khan Younis, near Israeli forces operating in the area,” a statement read. “We are aware of reports of casualties from IDF fire after the crowd neared the troops. The details are being checked.”

“The war between Israel and Iran made people forget about us completely. No one is looking at us – there’s no food, no water, nothing. Every day, people go to try to get aid, and they end up in body bags”

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, issued a stark warning regarding GHF operations. “Hunger must never be met with bullets,” he said. “Humanitarians must be allowed to do their work. Lifesaving aid must reach people in need, in line with humanitarian principles. "Without immediate and massively scaled-up access to the basic means of survival, we risk a descent into famine, further chaos, and the loss of more lives.”

Gazans who spoke to Haaretz in recent days described a marked escalation in Israeli army attacks following Israel’s strike on Iran. An eyewitness from the Jabalya and Al-Mawasi refugee camps said heavy gunfire was opened on people approaching food aid points.

“The army fired indiscriminately at people coming to collect food,” said one resident, adding that “even drones fired into the crowd.” Rescue teams struggled to reach the injured due to the dangerous conditions on the ground.

Earlier in the week heavy shelling was reported across southern Gaza, particularly near Khan Younis. Israeli naval vessels reportedly fired toward the Shati refugee camp in the city’s west, causing casualties, including women and children. Additional attacks were reported in the residential neighbourhoods of Al-Tuffah in Gaza City, Beit Lahia in the north, and Deir al-Balah in the central Strip.

Since 7 October 2023, Gaza’s health authorities report more than 55,300 people have been killed and over 128,700 injured. The death toll amounts to roughly 2.5% of Gaza’s population – meaning one in every 40 Palestinians in the territory is now dead.

Humanitarian aid, already insufficient, is being compromised by the focus on the Iran-Israel war.

“The war between Israel and Iran made people forget about us completely. No one is looking at us – there’s no food, no water, nothing. Every day, people go to try to get aid, and they end up in body bags,” Mohammad, a Gazan who declined to give his surname, told CNN on Monday.

“All the focus has shifted to the Israeli-Iranian war, even though Gaza has been wiped off the map,” said Mustafa Abu Juma’a, a resident of Gaza City. He added that while “some voices” continued to call for aid, the outbreak of war with Iran meant “no one is calling for food and water to be provided in Gaza.”

In a statement on Tuesday, GHF said “People are starving in Gaza and their desperation can create hazardous conditions.” The group said that while it is doing everything it can to distribute food quickly, orderly deliveries cannot always be guaranteed until food supplies are sufficient.

Nasser Hospital was again struck by Israeli fire this week.

This follows a warning last week from the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders that displacement orders and movement restrictions had pushed the vital medical facility to the brink of becoming non-functional. 

Over the weekend, both the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that closure of Nasser would severely compromise medical care for nearly one million people in southern Gaza. The ICRC emphasised that no other facility in the region is equipped to handle patients needing specialised care.

“Repeated evacuation orders are isolating and undermining what little is left of Gaza’s health-care system,” said Adrian Zimmermann, ICRC’s head of sub-delegation in Gaza. “These widespread evacuation orders – even with temporary exemptions – create bottlenecks that risk many preventable deaths,” he added.

Many in Gaza were unaware of the Iran war or the diplomatic upheaval it had triggered, due to one of the longest communication blackouts of the conflict. Phone and internet networks were down from Wednesday, reportedly due to damage to key fibre-optic cables, according to the UN. “Since April, Israeli authorities have denied more than 20 requests to carry out urgent repair work,” said the UN’s humanitarian coordination office.

The blackout meant residents were unable to view new evacuation orders from Israel’s military spokesperson or announcements from the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, the new US- and Israeli-backed organisation distributing food from compounds guarded by Israeli forces.

When internet access was restored after three days, the first images Gazans saw were not of their destroyed streets but of missiles lighting up the sky over Israel. Online, the scenes sparked a complicated sentiment – not fear, but bitter satisfaction. After 618 days of war, isolation, and hunger, Gazans watched a new front open. Trapped in tents, surrounded by rubble, and living in fear of both Israeli bombs and internal militias, many feel the world is once again looking elsewhere while their suffering continues unnoticed, Haaretz reports.

Israeli government and diplomatic sources are struggling to determine how Hamas might respond to Israel’s strikes in Iran, Haaretz has learned. Some believe the Iran conflict may hinder negotiations with Hamas, given its close ties to Tehran. Others argue that a weakening of Iran’s regional influence could push Hamas to “cut its losses” and agree to a deal, despite lingering disagreements.

Any such impact on talks is expected to take time. Four days after Netanyahu announced “significant progress” on a hostage deal, Israeli sources familiar with the negotiations were far more cautious, citing the new regional developments.

One Israeli source told Haaretz that Israel remains committed to “achieving all its objectives” in Gaza, including the return of hostages. When asked about efforts to secure their release, another source said, “We’re not stopping for a moment.” However, IDF officials acknowledged that Gaza is now a secondary front, with Iran becoming the primary focus. Meanwhile, European countries – especially the UK, France, and Germany – which had previously led calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and progress toward ending the Gaza war, expressed strong support over the weekend for Israel’s strikes in Iran. Whether this will temper their demands for humanitarian progress in Gaza remains to be seen.

France and Saudi Arabia had planned to host a 3 days summit from 17 June in New York to outline a roadmap for a Palestinian state while addressing Israeli security concerns. The summit was postponed due to the rising tensions in the region, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday.

Macron insisted that the attacks on Iran should “in no way make us forget Gaza”, explaining the delay was purely due to security concerns and the unavailability of the Palestinian delegates. He said the summit would go ahead as soon as possible but could not confirm a date. “This postponement cannot undermine our determination to move forward with the implementation of the two-state solution,” Macron added. “Whatever the circumstances, I have stated my determination to recognise the State of Palestine.”

In a joint letter to UN member states, French and Saudi UN ambassadors said the summit’s delay was “due to the current circumstances in the Middle East that prevent regional leaders from attending”. The conference will briefly open on 17 June in the General Assembly Hall, only to formally propose and agree to its suspension. “We are determined to resume the conference at the earliest possible date,” the ambassadors wrote.

READ MORE

What's happening in Gaza while the world's eyes are on Israel-Iran conflict? (SBS)

Gaza residents say IDF escalated attacks in strip since Israel launched war on Iran (Jack Khoury, Haaretz)

Strikes on Iran ease pressure on Israel to end starvation in Gaza (The Guardian)

‘Like the world has forgotten us:’ As Iran-Israel conflict escalates, Gazans fear their suffering will become invisible (CNN)

Israeli officials weigh impact of Iran war on Gaza hostage talks with Hamas (Haaretz)

Rafah is gone. Razed to the ground. And it's not the only city wiped out by the Israeli army (Haaretz)