Iran’s attack on Israel ‘brings joy’ to Gaza Palestinians amid suspicions of ‘face-saving’ assault

Some Palestinians say if Iran gets involved against Israel, the war in Gaza might end sooner than expected

Others think the Iranian assault has been staged in agreement with the US to cause no harm to Israel

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A banner depicting missiles and drones flying past a torn Israeli flag, with text in Persian reading “the next slap will be harder” and in Hebrew “your next mistake will be the end of your fake state”, on a building in Palestine Square in Tehran on April 14. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:50pm, 14 Apr 2024

Iran’s attack on Israel drew applause from many Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday as rare payback for the Israeli offensive on their enclave, although some said they suspected Tehran had staged the assault more for show than to inflict real damage.

“For the first time, we saw some rockets that didn’t land in our areas. These rockets were going into the occupied Palestine,” said Abu Abdallah, referring to land that became Israel in 1948 rather than the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

“We are hopeful that if Iran or any other country enters the war a solution for Gaza might be nearer than ever. The Americans may have to resolve Gaza to end the roots of the problem,” said Abu Abdallah, 32, using a nickname instead of his full name.

Many in Gaza have felt abandoned by Middle East neighbours since Israel began an offensive that has killed more than 33,000 people in response to attacks on Israeli soil by Hamas, who killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages on October 7.

However, support has come from Iran and its regional proxies, particularly Tehran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, who are allies of Gaza’s Hamas Islamist rulers.

Footage circulated from the enclave showed many residents, including inside displacement tents, whistling and others chanting “Allahu akbar [God is great]” in joy as the skies were lit up by Iranian rockets and Israeli interceptions.