CAIRO: The reports of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah without a similar deal with Hamas in Gaza has left Palestinians feeling abandoned and fearful that Israel will focus squarely on its onslaught in the enclave.

Hezbollah began firing missiles at Israel in solidarity with Hamas in October 2023. Hostilities in Lebanon have drastically escalated in the last two months, with Israel stepping up air strikes and sending in ground forces to Lebanon’s south and Hezbollah sustaining rocket fire on Israel.

Israel’s security cabinet approved a US plan for a ceasefire with Hezbollah when it met on Tuesday, while Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib expressed hope that a ceasefire would be reached this week.

Residents fear Israeli army will now have a free hand in the territory

While diplomacy focuses on Lebanon, Palestinians feel let down by the world after 14 months of conflict which has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed more than 44,000 people. “It showed Gaza is an orphan, with no support and no mercy from the unjust world,” said Abdel-Ghani, a father of five who only gave a first name.

“I am angry against the world that has failed to bring one solution to the two regions,” Abdel-Ghani. “Maybe, there will be another deal for Gaza, maybe.”

An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire without a deal for Gaza would be a blow to Hamas, whose leaders had hoped the expansion of the conflict into Lebanon would pressure Israel to reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

Hezbollah had insisted that it would not agree to a ceasefire until the conflict in Gaza ends, but it dropped that condition.

“We had high hopes that Hezbollah would remain steadfast until the end but it seems they couldn’t,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman, who like most Gazans has been displaced from his home. “We are afraid the Israeli army will now have a free hand in Gaza.”

While a Lebanon deal could leave some Hezbollah commanders in place after Israel killed the heavily armed group’s veteran leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor, Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas completely.

“We hoped the expansion of the war meant one solution for all, but we were left alone in the face of the monstrous (Israeli) occupation,” said Zakeya Rezik, 56, a mother of six. “Enough is enough, we are exhausted.

How many more had to die before they stopped the war? Gaza war must stop, the people are being wiped out, starved, and bombed every day.”

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2024