Gaza endures in the shadows as global focus shifts to Iran

Seventeen months into the war, life in the Gaza Strip has become a grinding battle for survival as global attention pivots toward the widening conflict with Iran.

In ruined neighbourhoods and sprawling displacement camps, Palestinians say the world’s gaze has shifted while their crisis deepens. Aid remains scarce, prices are climbing and sporadic airstrikes continue despite a ceasefire announced months ago.

War’s Echoes Still Rip Through Gaza

Early Sunday, an Israeli strike killed six people and wounded four in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis, according to local health authorities.

Residents say the soundscape of war has barely changed. Drones hum overhead, gunfire crackles across neighbourhoods and naval patrols still fire near the coast.

“Drones never stop buzzing overhead,” said Ahmed Baroud, a 56-year-old father displaced in Deir al-Balah. “Gunfire and shelling continue almost daily.”

Ceasefire on Paper, Crisis on the Ground

More than 680 Palestinians have been killed since the October ceasefire, local officials say. In markets and food lines, exhaustion hangs over daily life as residents queue amid shattered buildings and muddy camps.

Many say the economic shock of the escalating Middle East conflict has made conditions worse.

“After the war on Iran, food prices rose significantly and goods became scarce,” said Ibrahim Kaheel, a displaced resident of Gaza City.

Survival Replaces the Future

For families who have lost homes and relatives, survival has replaced long-term plans.

Students once focused on exams now talk about earning money to keep younger siblings from begging in the streets. Others simply hope to secure clean drinking water for a few days.

“I hope the bombardment will stop,” said Ibtisam Al-Kurdi, a 64-year-old displaced woman who lost both sons in the war.

Aid Bottlenecks and a Health System Breaking

Humanitarian agencies warn the territory remains dangerously fragile. The UNRWA says the Kerem Shalom crossing is currently the only functioning route for cargo deliveries.

Hospitals are collapsing under shortages of basic supplies. Doctors say even biopsy needles are unavailable, leaving patients with suspected cancers unable to receive a diagnosis.

Before limited travel resumed through the Rafah crossing in March, more than 11,000 cancer patients were waiting to leave Gaza for treatment.

For many families, the war has erased the boundary between crisis and everyday life — leaving survival as the only horizon.

Exhausted Palestinians struggle to put lives back together as world’s gaze fixes on Iran