As Israel's battle with Hezbollah intensifies, people in Gaza fear being forgotten

MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP) – As Escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is attracting worldwide attention, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are asking themselves: What will become of their plight after almost a year of devastating war?

They are terrified that international attention has been diverted and a grim possibility looms: neglect.

The families of the Israeli Hostages held in Gaza have the same concern.

Nezar Zaqout, one of around 1.9 million Palestinians forced to leave their homes since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, said he feared that fighting across the Israeli-Lebanese border could overshadow interest in the miserable living conditions in Gaza and efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.

“We have been completely forgotten,” says Zaqout, who lives in Khan Younis after fleeing Gaza City months ago. “There is no news about us in the media.”

Palestinians fear that the miserable conditions in Gaza will become permanent. 90 percent of the population is homeless, hundreds of thousands live in unsanitary tent camps and struggle for food and clean water.

“One year later, nobody cares about us. Every day there are bombings, every day there are martyrs and every day there are injured,” said Saadi Abu Mustafa, who was from Khan Younis to Muwasia sprawling tent camp along the southern coast of Gaza.

Since Hamas began the war on October 7The Israeli retaliatory invasion of Gaza left over 41,000 Palestinians dead and over 95,000 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry makes no distinction between civilians and militants, but says that over half of the dead were women and children.

Months of intensive air and ground attacks have entire apartment blocks razed to the ground to the ground; researchers analyzing satellite images estimate that almost 60% of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have probably been damaged since the beginning of the war.

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after October 7, when its militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted 250 more. Although she is severely disabled, remains in power.

According to the Israeli government, 70 of the 100 hostages are believed to be alive. Their families fear that the government is increasingly less committed to its efforts to end the war.

“My biggest concern is that all the public attention and the world's attention could be focused on the north,” said Udi Goren, a relative of Tal Haimi, an Israeli killed on Oct. 7 and whose body was brought to Gaza. “Ultimately, the hostages will just be left completely alone, with no one to take them out.”

As the threat of open war between Israel and Hezbollah grows, Israel has reduced its troop presence in Gaza and moved key units to the northern border with Lebanon. Yet thousands of soldiers remain in Gaza, conducting sporadic raids and preventing displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes.

Daily attacks also continued in Gaza. An Israeli attack on a school in northern Gaza that was being used as an emergency shelter killed at least 22 people and injured 30 others on Saturday, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Recent rains have made already difficult living conditions in Israel's designated “safe zone” of Muwasi unbearable. On Sunday, children living there walked barefoot through mud that reached above their ankles while men dug in the mud to salvage valuable canned goods and furniture.

“The whole kitchen where we prepare food was filled with water. We didn't know what to do. It is the beginning of winter. What will happen in the next few days?” said Rana Goza't, a mother displaced from Gaza City.

Others complained about soaked mattresses and asked international organizations to help draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“We hope that all people care about us and see where we have arrived,” said Enas Kollab, who moved to Muwasi from northern Gaza.

The hectic diplomatic activity to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas appears to have died down, with each side accusing the other of negotiating in bad faith and making untenable demands.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding that Israel station troops in two Gaza areas to prevent Hamas from rearming. But Hamas has said it will not agree to any agreement that allows Israeli troops to remain.

Hopes for a deal have fallen further as the United States, a key mediator in the talks, appears to be losing the ability to influence its closest ally. Trip to the region last weekForeign Minister Antony Blinken only visited Egypt Because U.S. officials believed that a trip by Netanyahu to Israel to support a deal could lead him to say something that would undermine mediation efforts.

There is no clear vision for post-war Gaza – or who will lead and manage that process – but one thing is clear: rebuilding the area will take decades. The UN estimated this summer that just clearing some 40 million tons of rubble would take 15 years.