After 12 days of intense strikes between Israel and Iran – punctuated by the United States’ bombing of Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend and Tehran’s performative retaliation – a US-brokered ceasefire appeared to be holding on Tuesday.
But in Gaza, Israel’s offensive has shown no signs of abating, with Israeli fire killing hundreds of people there since the Iran-Israel conflict began. As Iran dominates headlines, the Palestinians and hostage families caught up in the region’s longest war have slipped from the front pages, largely forgotten amid the devastating blows between two of the Middle East’s most powerful countries.
On Tuesday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum called for the ceasefire between Israel and Iran to be expanded to include Gaza.
“Those who can achieve a ceasefire with Iran can also end the war in Gaza,” said the group, which advocates for the return of the hostages held by Hamas. Fifty hostages remain in captivity in the enclave, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, according to the Israeli government.
“To conclude this decisive operation against Iran without leveraging our success to bring home all the hostages would be a grave failure,” the forum said, adding that there was now a “critical window of opportunity.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid echoed those sentiments, writing in a post on X: “And now Gaza. This is the moment to close that front as well. To bring the hostages home, to end the war. Israel needs to start rebuilding.”
Qatar, which has been a lead mediator in ceasefire and hostage release talks between Israel and Hamas, said Tuesday that it is hoping for indirect talks to resume in the next two days. The Qatari prime minister said talks were “ongoing,” adding that Qatar and Egypt are in touch with both sides to try to find a “middle ground” regarding the latest US-conceived truce on the table.
It calls for the release of 10 Israeli hostages and the bodies of a further 18 Israelis taken in the October 7, 2023, attacks as part of a 60-day ceasefire. Earlier this month, Hamas said it had not rejected the proposal but required stronger guarantees around the end of the war.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that “there is no doubt that our major achievements in Iran also contribute to our goals in Gaza.”
Iran has provided financial and military backing for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the enclave.
Hamas has said that it is open to a truce but is not willing to lay down its arms.
For Gaza’s 2.1 million residents, there has been no respite from over 20 months of death, violence and desperation.
More than 55,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, of which more than 17,000 are children.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has repeatedly warned that a man-made famine is becoming increasingly likely in the territory.
Attacks on civilians attempting to access food supplies are escalating, with more than 500 people killed by the Israeli military while seeking aid since May 27, according to the health ministry.
In a Tuesday statement, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) called Israel’s actions “a likely war crime.”
Philippe Lazzarini, executive director of UNRWA, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, underlined the fears of Palestinians and many supporting humanitarian organizations about their plight.
“Atrocities continue in Gaza while global attention shifts elsewhere,” he said.