Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip received the announcement on Monday of a framework agreement between the United States and Iran , brokered by Pakistan, amid growing concerns that the coastal enclave may be absent from a broader regional settlement despite hopes that the deal could help bring an end to Israel's war on Gaza.
While US President Donald Trump described the understanding as a "great deal" that would bring "peace and security to the region", and Iranian officials confirmed reaching an agreement aimed at ending months of confrontation with Washington, Palestinians in Gaza are waiting for the full text of the memorandum of understanding, expected to be signed in Switzerland on Friday.
For many in the besieged territory, attention has focused less on the diplomatic breakthrough in the Iran-US deal than on what was omitted from the initial announcement. Despite previous assurances from Hamas that Gaza would be included in any understandings reached between Tehran and Washington, the territory has not been explicitly mentioned in statements released so far.
Last week, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a press statement that the movement had received guarantees from Iran that any agreement with the United States would address "all fronts", including Gaza.
However, statements issued following Monday's announcement made no direct reference to the enclave.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the agreement included a call for "an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon", but did not mention Gaza . Fear of being left out The omission has fuelled fears among Palestinians that Gaza could be left outside a broader regional settlement at a time when the war continues to devastate the territory and deepen an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
In a camp for the displaced in Gaza City, Ahmed Abu al-Atta, 43, a civil servant whose home was destroyed during the war, told The New Arab that "many residents had hoped a US-Iran agreement would create momentum towards ending the conflict in Gaza ."
"We have been following the news throughout the day since the agreement was announced, but what caught our attention is that Gaza was not explicitly mentioned," he said.
"This has caused widespread concern among people because we fear that all the issues in the region will be settled while Gaza remains alone, excluded from any understanding," he added.
Abu al-Ata explained that the prolonged war had left residents searching for any political development that might lead to a ceasefire and alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe facing the enclave.
"If the United States and Iran are capable of ending their conflict, why isn't there also pressure to end the war in Gaza ?" he asked rhetorically.
Um Mohammed Hijazi, 52, who was displaced from northern Gaza to Deir al-Balah in the central Strip, expresses the same concerns.
She told TNA that the possibility of Gaza being excluded from a regional agreement was a "dangerous sign" for Palestinians.
"Every time we hear about understandings or agreements in the region, we hope they will benefit us, but this time we fear that the agreement will lead to a lull in other issues and leave Gaza to face its fate alone," she said.
According to Hijazi, many displaced families are questioning whether the war could intensify if tensions between Washington and Tehran ease.
"People here fear that Israel will feel freer to manage the war after the confrontation with Iran is removed from the equation," she added.
Mohammed al-Fayoumi, 28, who lives in a tent west of Gaza City, echoed those concerns.
"When the entire region was on the brink of a wider confrontation, there was international pressure to prevent an explosion," he told TNA . "But if the US-Iran crisis ends and only Gaza remains, the pressure on Israel might lessen, and international attention on what's happening here will decrease." Could Israel benefit? The concerns expressed by residents come amid growing speculation about how the agreement could reshape regional dynamics and affect Israel's military and political calculations.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz recently reiterated Israel's opposition to withdrawing from what it calls "security zones" in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza without a defined timetable.
Palestinian political observers believe such statements reflect an Israeli effort to use shifting regional realities to consolidate facts on the ground across multiple fronts, including Gaza .
At the official Palestinian level, however, reactions to the agreement have been largely welcoming.
The Palestinian presidency said the US-Iran understandings represented a positive step towards reducing tensions and reviving diplomacy in the region.
In a press statement, it stressed that achieving genuine regional stability requires addressing the root causes of conflict and renewed international efforts to end the war and humanitarian suffering in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh also welcomed the agreement, expressing hope that it could become "a starting point for resolving the conflict in the region".
He stressed that lasting peace and security would remain unattainable without ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state. What could the agreement mean for Gaza? Gaza-based political analyst Ahed Ferwana told TNA that the anxiety felt by many Gazans was understandable given the absence of any explicit reference to the enclave in the initial announcements.
"Palestinians expected the new understandings to address the various arenas connected to Iran's regional axis, especially after Hamas spoke about receiving assurances from Tehran," he said.
He cautioned, however, against drawing definitive conclusions before the full text of the agreement is released.
"So far, it cannot be definitively stated that Gaza is excluded from the agreement because the full text has not yet been published, but its absence from the initial statements has raised legitimate questions among Palestinians," he added.
He said Israel might view the agreement as a chance to reset priorities, but it is unlikely to get free rein to continue the war without scrutiny.
" Gaza has become a major international issue, and there is growing political, legal and humanitarian pressure on Israel," he added. "While the end of US-Iran tensions may alter some regional calculations, it does not eliminate the scale of international concern over the war and its consequences."
Hussam al-Dajani, a Gaza-based political analyst, believes the agreement could calm the region and aid diplomatic efforts toward a Gaza ceasefire, especially with mediators such as Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey involved in broader regional accords.
"The main Palestinian concern is not only that Gaza could be excluded from the agreement," he said. "It is that the Palestinian issue as a whole could be pushed to the margins in favour of wider security and regional arrangements."
For now, Palestinians remain caught between hope that the agreement could open a path towards de-escalation and fears that regional powers may reach new understandings without addressing the conflict that continues to dominate life in the enclave.