Gaza Palestinians Expect Little Change After Vote — SkimNews
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- Walid al-Awad said Palestinians care about the policies a winning Israeli party adopts rather than its name, noting that policies on occupation, settlements and denial of Palestinian national rights have largely remained in place.
- Benjamin Netanyahu and main opponent Gadi Eisenkot both oppose an independent Palestinian state; analyst Imad Mohsen said successive governments have retained the same approach, including wars and repeated military escalation.
- The U.S.-brokered ceasefire has largely ended fighting in Gaza, but U.S.-led talks have failed to secure Hamas’s disarmament and Israeli withdrawal; Netanyahu and Eisenkot said they would restart the conflict if Hamas does not disarm.
- Israel has suspended commercial-goods entry into Gaza and restricted materials and supplies, keeping reconstruction on hold in the war-damaged territory.
- Israeli soldiers control two-thirds of Gaza, with nearly all of the territory’s roughly two million Palestinian residents crowded into the remaining land in tents and damaged buildings.
- Abdullah Mohammed, 65, said his biggest fear is that residents will think the war is over only for it to start again; he wants to live in safety without constantly worrying about tomorrow.
- United Nations independent commission of inquiry concluded Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel has rejected; local health officials said Israel has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians.
Why it matters: For the roughly two million Palestinians crowded into the remaining third of Gaza, the election offers no stated policy pivot: Netanyahu and Eisenkot both oppose an independent Palestinian state, and talks have not secured disarmament or withdrawal. With commercial-goods entry suspended, the material stakes are continued blockade and the risk of renewed war.
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