Report: The American War on Iran Has Reduced Interest in the Fate of Gaza

SadaNews - While attention is focused on the upcoming round of American-Israeli negotiations aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, interest in the Gaza Strip has waned after an Israeli war that led to a fragile ceasefire.

The ceasefire was announced in October 2025 based on a plan by American President Donald Trump that calls for a complete end to the war and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Ahmed Jamali (53 years old), who lives in a refugee camp in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, says: "Since the American war on Iran, the whole world has forgotten Gaza and its tragedy." He adds to "AFP": "We have no father. We are a weak and oppressed party, and Israel does everything, killing and destroying and occupying Gaza, and no one in the world moves a finger."

The war in the Palestinian enclave erupted after the attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Israelis, according to official Israeli figures, while more than 73,000 Palestinians were killed in the enclave, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.

Four months after the ceasefire was announced in Gaza, Israel and the United States launched a violent assault on Iran, followed by a war that extended to several countries in the region, as Iran responded to the strikes targeting it by bombing Israel and several Arab states in the Gulf, while Hezbollah reopened a front with Israel in Lebanon in support of Iran.

A ceasefire was announced on the American-Israeli-Iranian front on April 8, followed by a ceasefire on the Hezbollah-Israel front about ten days later.

The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June aimed at ending the war, which included a cessation of military operations in Lebanon, but did not mention Gaza.

Sources close to Hamas, who refused to reveal their identities, said this raised disappointment among some Hamas officials, according to "AFP".

"Disappointment"

Initially, Iranian officials spoke about their commitment to an agreement that encompasses the entire region, while analysts believe that this silence regarding Gaza indicates a broader shift in priorities.

Hugh Lovatt from the European Council on Foreign Relations told "AFP": "This reflects a decrease in the strategic weight of Hamas in the eyes of Iran." He adds: "Gaza is gradually disappearing from the circle of international attention."

In a related context, Israeli military expert Ido Hesht believes that "Hamas was an ally of Iran, not a tool in its hands," considering that the Palestinian movement "has disappointed" the Iranians who "did not want a war in the fall of 2023."

But diplomats participating in the negotiations consider that "most parties see the issue as unsolvable in the short or medium term."

A Western diplomat based in Jerusalem told "AFP" that Gaza's absence from the agreement reflects a state of political stagnation more than it reflects real progress. He added: "Gaza is absent from the agreement (...) because there is no reliable political framework for the next day."

In reality, Israel continues to bomb the enclave it occupies over 60 percent of, resulting in casualties and more destruction, despite the ceasefire. Meanwhile, the suffocating humanitarian crisis remains in place.

Israel insists on fully disarming Hamas before any political transition begins, while Hamas refuses to give up its weapons without guarantees of an alternative Palestinian authority to manage the enclave.

Cairo Talks

Nevertheless, negotiations regarding the future of Gaza continue behind the scenes, with the latest round taking place in Cairo, where meetings involved Palestinian factions, including Hamas, representatives from the peace council established by Trump, as well as regional parties like Qatar and Turkey. A source familiar with the negotiations told AFP, "Trump may want to give this process a chance. It remains to be seen whether it will succeed."

Despite the lack of publicly announced details, diplomatic and security sources told the agency that negotiators are working on a roadmap that combines the gradual disarmament of Hamas and the establishment of transitional authorities to manage Gaza.

In contrast, Israeli media reported that military and political officials say the government will reject such a framework. Lovatt said: "Currently, this diplomatic process exists only on the negotiation table," adding: "Some progress has been made, but reconstruction is still a distant goal, and nothing is changing for people on the ground."