Gaza’s recovery was making progress. It risks being overshadowed by another war

Some Palestinians say they fear the widening war sparked by US and Israeli attacks against Iran could overshadow the fragile situation in Gaza, just over a week after US President Donald Trump rallied billions of dollars in pledges for the territory’s reconstruction and tried to nudge a ceasefire forward. Residents said they were scared of neglect and deprivation, with Israel in the wake of the weekend strikes closing all crossings into their shattered territory of over 2 million people. COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza, asserted in its announcement of the closings that the food supply inside the territory “is expected to suffice for an extended period”. It added that the rotation of humanitarian workers in and out of Gaza is postponed. COGAT did not respond to a request for comment. Palestinians told Associated Press they were rushing to markets, haunted by memories of painful food scarcity last year under months of Israel’s blockade. Part of Gaza, around Gaza City, was found to be in famine. “When the crossings shut down, everything was suspended from the market,” said Osamda Hanoda from Khan Younis. “The prices go up, and people live in misery.” The shaky Israel-Hamas ceasefire had led to more humanitarian aid and other supplies entering Gaza, even as the United Nations and aid partners say more of everything from basic medical supplies to fuel is needed. Now, Palestinians are hoarding again, with reports of prices rising sharply for basic goods such as bags of flour. “We are afraid of not finding milk” and nappies for the kids, or food and water, said Hassan Zanoun, who was displaced from Rafah. It was not clear when any crossing might reopen. Israeli authorities focused on Iran, and citizens dashed repeatedly for shelter as sirens wailed. The war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and it has been marked from the start by restrictions on people and supplies being allowed into the territory - and terrified people, including medical evacuees in need of treatment, getting out. A month ago, Gaza’s main Rafah border crossing with the outside world - its only crossing not with Israel - reopened, allowing a small and tightly controlled flow of Palestinian traffic in both directions. No cargo was allowed through. Now all crossings are closed again in the middle of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time of chosen deprivation, evening feasts and prayer. Images have shown Palestinians lined up at long tables in the middle of bombed-out debris. The strikes on Iran shook that routine. “All the people rushed to markets, and they all wanted to shop and hide,” said Abeer Awwad, who was displaced from Gaza City, as word of the explosions in Tehran began to spread. Under the October 10 US-brokered ceasefire, the heaviest fighting has subsided, though regular Israeli fire continues in Gaza. The UN World Food Program has noted progress in the enclave but said in its latest food security analysis last week that hunger remains. “Households reported an average of two meals per day in February 2026, compared to one meal in July,” it said. “Still, one in five households consumed only one meal daily.” The World Central Kitchen, meanwhile, warned that it would run out of supplies this week if Israel kept the strip’s crossings closed. “We need food deliveries every single day to feed hungry families who are not part of this war,” José Andrés, the celebrity chef who founded the organisation, said in a social media post. He said WCK provides 1 million meals a day in Gaza, and that the group and others working in war-torn Gaza need food and other supplies every day. “We cannot wait...let the humanitarian trucks go through today!” he said. Refocusing the world’s attention on Gaza is a challenge for aid groups and others as Iran scrambles for new leadership and explosions continue in Tehran, Israel and around the Middle East. Trump has said bombing in Iran could continue through the week or longer, and warned Tehran of “A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!” if it escalates attacks. It’s a dramatic turn from Trump’s launch less than two weeks ago of his new “Board of Peace”, a gathering of world leaders that is aimed at ending the war in Gaza but has ambitions of resolving conflicts elsewhere. Even with that bump in momentum on Gaza, major challenges remain for the ceasefire. They include disarming Hamas, assembling and deploying an international stabilisation force, and getting a newly appointed Palestinian committee meant to govern Gaza into the territory. As the Middle East turns to another war, some Palestinians see a benefit: Israel’s military is distracted. “The good thing is that the sound of booms and demolitions is rare now near the yellow line,” said Ahmed Abu Jahl, of Gaza City, speaking about the line dividing Gaza and marking out roughly half the territory controlled by Israeli forces. “Even the drones, they are still flying overhead, but their number has gone down.”

Gaza’s recovery was making progress. It risks being overshadowed by another war

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}With crossings closed, Palestinians in Gaza are hoarding again as the war in Iran transforms the regional security situation

With crossings closed, Palestinians in Gaza are hoarding again as the war in Iran transforms the regional security situation