As Iran-Israel war reshapes regional dynamics, Palestinians in Gaza fear marginalisation

As tensions between Iran and Israel erupt into direct confrontation, Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for the potential fallout—politically, militarily, and in terms of global attention.

While missiles streak across the skies in an escalating regional conflict, many Palestinians fear that their decades-old suffering is once again being pushed into the background; with critical issues like a prisoner exchange deal may stall, and Gaza's humanitarian crisis caused by Israel continues to deepen.

The Israel's war on Iran erupted on 13 June after months of cyberattacks, threats, and indirect hostilities gave way to open warfare, with missile barrages and fighter jets deployed on military and civilian sites. 

Israel's ongoing attacks on Iran killed nearly two hundred people, including major military figures, nuclear scientists, and women and children. 

According to Israel's Home Front Command, Iranian missiles have so far have killed 24 Israelis and injured over 350, with one person still missing in the coastal city of Bat Yam.

Meanwhile, Gaza remains under relentless Israeli bombardment. Palestinian medical sources report dozens of civilian deaths in recent days, as hospitals and relief agencies warn of a looming collapse in the besieged coastal enclave's humanitarian infrastructure.

Stalled talks and strategic silence

A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that indirect negotiations with Israel over a potential prisoner exchange remain ongoing.

However, progress has slowed due to the regional escalation.

"We are still engaging with mediators, but progress depends on real political will. Israel only negotiates seriously under pressure—whether political or military," the official said to The New Arab.

He stressed that Hamas has not withdrawn from talks but remains committed to its core demands.

"We will not accept any deal that undermines our red lines. Every proposal is evaluated based on its ability to uphold justice for our prisoners," he explained.

In a potential sign of movement in the negotiations, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed negotiators to approach the exchange with "greater flexibility."

Yet, Palestinian analysts warn that this shift may be more about optics than a fundamental policy change.

"Gaza will be affected, no matter how distant the frontlines in Iran may seem," Ahed Farwana, a political analyst in Gaza, told TNA.

"Gaza isn't a direct player in this war, but it's embedded in a web of regional alliances. Israel could use the world's distraction to escalate its operations here, while Gaza's resistance becomes more constrained by the worsening humanitarian collapse," he said.

Farwana believes the situation could go in either direction. "On one hand, Israel might seek calm on other fronts, including Gaza, to focus on Iran, opening the door to progress on the prisoner deal. On the other hand, Tel Aviv could delay everything, using the war as a pretext to freeze negotiations," he said.

"It all depends on how the next few weeks unfold," he added.

Israeli daily Haaretz quoted a senior official involved in the talks, saying that the operation against Iran is complicating any truce efforts.

"The campaign Israel launched against Iran does not help reach a ceasefire with Hamas," the official said. "It's actually pushing Hamas to harden its position. Even if Hamas loses Iranian backing, it won't abandon its demand to end the war in Gaza."

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump vaguely claimed that "the Gaza issue will be resolved soon" without offering further details.

Some Palestinian observers interpret the remark as a signal of a broader regional arrangement possibly in motion—one that could include a long-term ceasefire and prisoner exchange as part of an international diplomatic package.

Vanishing from the headlines

While views on Iran vary among Palestinians in Gaza residents, many express a complicated sense of vindication.

In Gaza City's al-Tuffah neighbourhood, 41-year-old Ahmed Abu Dayya scrolls through updates on his phone, the glow of the screen reflecting off shattered glass in a bombed-out home.

"This war between Israel and Iran didn't surprise me. It's been building for years, only delayed by Israel's wars with Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen," he told TNA.

"But now that the world is watching this new war, Gaza is vanishing from the headlines. Israel knows this, and it's exploiting the silence to escalate its attacks here without consequence," he said.

Like many others, Abu Dayya's family members were killed in Israel's war, with the Israeli army shooting his brother.

"No one has time for our suffering any more, especially as Israel imposes a starvation policy on us," he added bitterly.

Of great concern for him presently is Hamas's silence over the fate of the stalled truce and exchange negotiations with Israel.

Wafaa al-Qishawi, a 29-year-old displaced woman from the Nuseirat refugee camp, shared similar sentiments.

"We don't support everything Iran does. But when Israeli cities come under fire, we feel like there's a moment of justice, even if it's fleeting," she told TNA.

"The Israelis destroyed our homes. Now, maybe for the first time, someone else understands what that pain feels like," she said.

Still, she fears that Gaza is being pushed further down the list of international priorities.

"Since this war began, Gaza has become a footnote again. I'm afraid our pain is being filed away as irrelevant," she added.

Despite the bleakness, some in Gaza see the regional upheaval as an opportunity for international re-engagement.

"Maybe now the world will be forced to look at Gaza as part of a bigger equation," Mohammed Arram, a 36-year-old teacher who has been displaced ten times since the war began, remarked to TNA.

"We've always been treated as an isolated tragedy, but this war is redrawing alliances and red lines. If the world is rethinking the region, maybe it’ll finally rethink Gaza too," he said.

Arram believes that this moment of geopolitical flux could be used to reinsert Gaza into global diplomatic conversations.

"We're not just victims; we're part of the regional dynamic. We're part of the cause and should be part of the solution," he added.

Despite decades of false hope, he is cautious. "I've lived through too many wars, too many broken promises. But maybe, just maybe, this chaos will force a real reckoning. Maybe someone will finally listen," he continued.

In Khan Younis, at the southern tip of the Strip, 35-year-old Yasser al-Skafi echoed that sentiment.

"This war isn't new; it results from decades of unresolved tension. But it might finally pressure Israel to change course," he told TNA.

"We're in a catastrophic situation. Borders are sealed; there's no electricity, water, or constant bombing. But maybe this crisis will force a permanent shift—something that ends this nightmare," he said.

"No one here [in Gaza] celebrates death, whether in Iran or Israel. We just want a moment of justice, where the world acknowledges our pain and stops pretending it doesn't exist," he added.

But for now, in the devastated streets of Gaza, such visions remain distant.