Palestinian officials and political analysts say that Israel is exploiting the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran to escalate actions against the Palestinians, worsening conditions in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem while global attention is focused on the regional war.
They say the international community has remained largely silent about the destruction in Gaza even as it unfolded before the world’s television cameras, raising concerns that events occurring away from global attention may receive even less scrutiny.
Analysts argue that Israel views the confrontation with Iran as an opportunity to intensify its actions against the Palestinians and potentially delay or derail elements of policies associated with US President Donald Trump, particularly regarding Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.
Signs of what Palestinians describe as Israel’s exploitation of the Iran conflict have emerged in continued military operations in Gaza and rising settler violence in the West Bank.
In the past 24 hours alone, Palestinian sources say Israeli settlers have killed four Palestinians near Ramallah and Hebron, while hundreds of attacks by settlers have been recorded across the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Many analysts believe the conflict with Iran could have direct consequences for the Palestinian situation, particularly in Gaza. They say the war may delay diplomatic initiatives such as the convening of a peace conference and the transition to the second phase of proposals associated with Trump’s regional plans.
There are also fears Israel could close the Gaza border crossings, a move that would deepen the already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
Another major concern among Palestinians relates to the future reconstruction of Gaza. Many are questioning whether the Gulf countries, expected to fund rebuilding efforts, will still prioritise Gaza or instead shift resources towards rebuilding areas affected by the Iran conflict.
There are also concerns that the Gulf states may focus more on strengthening their military capabilities after the war exposed what some see as the limited willingness or ability of the United States to fully protect regional allies, while prioritising Israel’s security.
These questions reflect wider concerns that the regional conflict will have lasting repercussions for developments in Palestine.
SHIFT FROM GAZA: Munther Al-Hayek, a spokesman for the Fatah Movement in Gaza, said the conflict between Israel and Iran is negatively affecting conditions in the territory.
“The war between Israel and Iran is having a negative impact on the situation in Gaza, as Israel is exploiting the regional escalation to divert attention away from the ongoing violations and crimes taking place in the Strip, particularly in eastern areas where it continues to maintain control,” Al-Hayek told Al-Ahram Weekly.
He said the global focus on the regional war has reduced international attention to developments in Gaza, both politically and humanitarianly.
He added that Israel often takes advantage of regional crises to advance its objectives on the ground, whether in Gaza or the West Bank, where settler attacks have intensified, including by uprooting trees, attacking homes, and seizing land. He also noted that Israel continues to withhold Palestinian tax revenues.
He said the Palestinian issue has fallen down the list of international priorities, with little discussion of the Palestinian national project or the two-state solution, amid what he described as strong political protection for Israel from Washington under Trump’s leadership.
According to Al-Hayek, Israel has also failed to implement the agreement reached with Hamas regarding a ceasefire and a transition to the second phase of the Trump peace plan, including withdrawing from the “yellow line” in Gaza.
He said the area covers about 58 per cent of Gaza’s territory, which stretches roughly 51 km in length and about 3.5 km in width.
He said Israel continues to maintain full control over areas such as Beit Hanoun and Rafah, leaving only the densely populated western parts of Gaza available to civilians.
If Israel concludes its confrontation with Iran, it may refocus on Gaza by increasing pressure on the Palestinian factions to disarm while continuing to use humanitarian aid as leverage, he said.
Louay Al-Saqqa, a Palestinian economic expert in the Gaza Strip, said the territory’s future will depend on three interconnected factors: a political solution to the Palestinian issue; governance and security arrangements within Gaza; and the level of international support for reconstruction and development.
All three factors, he said, are now under threat as global attention shifts to the conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
He said the third factor, the scale of international financial support for rebuilding the territory, is particularly critical. Gaza suffered widespread economic and infrastructure destruction during the recent war, making reconstruction a massive undertaking that will require significant international investment and a long-term development strategy, he said.
But that effort now appears increasingly uncertain, as governments focus on the economic consequences of the regional conflict and shifting global conditions that could worsen if the war expands.
Al-Saqqa said any viable plan for Gaza’s future must address the three factors simultaneously.
Lasting stability, he said, cannot be achieved simply by rebuilding infrastructure but requires a political, security and economic environment that allows normal life to resume and sustainable development to take hold in the territory.
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS: Humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to worsen. In addition to severe economic hardships, the health sector is under enormous strain, while the education system faces an unprecedented crisis.
Families have been forced to establish alternative learning centres in streets and temporary spaces after many schools were closed or destroyed, and large numbers of students are now outside the formal education system.
Palestinian officials estimate that about 100,000 students are currently not enrolled in schools or other educational programmes, highlighting the scale of the crisis facing Gaza’s youth.
Awad Slemiya, a professor of international relations and deputy director of the Palestine Institute for National Security Research, said the US-Israeli war against Iran could have significant long-term implications for Palestine, including the West Bank.
Slemiya said Trump had presented a plan at the start of the conflict that included several stages. It initially focused on preventing Iran from possessing long-range ballistic missiles and from storing, producing, or maintaining materials linked to a nuclear programme.
But the US position later expanded to include reducing Iran’s regional influence and preventing it from supporting allied groups in the Middle East. The discourse later broadened further to include discussions about minority rights within Iran.
Regarding the war’s impact on the Palestinian issue, Slemiya said global attention on the confrontation with Iran, including economic and security repercussions such as supply chain disruptions and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, has given Israel greater room to intensify its policies in the Palestinian Territories.
He said Israel has used the international distraction to step up military actions in Gaza, including airstrikes on targets in the territories.
Israel also continues to control border crossings, particularly the Kerem Shalom Crossing, regulating the entry of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza and sometimes deliberately delaying shipments, especially during Ramadan, as part of pressure tactics on the population.
In Jerusalem, the Israeli authorities have imposed stricter security measures, including preventing worshippers from reaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque and occasionally closing the site, citing security concerns linked to potential Iranian missile threats.
Slemiya said that despite the rapid regional developments, the Palestinian issue remains fundamentally a question of national rights for a people living under occupation and will continue to impose itself on the international agenda regardless of shifting geopolitical crises.
He said that preventing a major escalation in the West Bank should be the immediate priority. He called for Palestinian political unity, ending internal divisions, adopting a unified political and legal strategy, strengthening internal security to prevent chaos, expanding diplomatic efforts internationally, and securing an Arab economic safety net.
He also warned that Israel may use the regional distraction to accelerate its policies on the ground, including expanding settlements at an unprecedented pace, advancing what he described as “creeping annexation”, and intensifying economic and military pressure on Palestinians in an attempt to provoke reactions that could justify broader Israeli plans in the West Bank.
He also warned that the conflict with Iran could expand further across the region, raising the risk of a multi-front escalation while the West Bank faces an increasingly complex situation.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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