Palestinians fear the crisis in Lebanon is diverting the world’s attention from Gaza and diminishing already dim prospects for a ceasefire a year into a war that has shattered the enclave.

An escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah over the past two weeks has fuelled fears of a wider regional war, but the death toll has continued to rise in Gaza as Israeli strikes killed dozens more people this week.

“The focus is on Lebanon, which means the war in Gaza isn’t ending anytime soon,” said Hussam Ali, a 45-year-old Gaza City resident.

He told Reuters, via a chat app, his family had been displaced seven times since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 last year.

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Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel at the start of the Gaza war in support of Hamas, causing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents whom Israel says need to return home. In Lebanon, nearly 1900 people have been killed and more than 9000 wounded in nearly a year of cross-border fighting, with most of the deaths occurring in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics.

The casualty figures are still a fraction of those in Gaza, where the health ministry says at least 41,788 Palestinians have been killed and 96,794 wounded since October 7 last year.

The Gaza war began after Hamas led a shock incursion into Israel, killing about 1200 people and taking more than 250 hostage.

Reuters