Gaza City – As fragile ceasefires are in place between the United States and Iran and between Israel and Lebanon, a question is vexing Palestinians in Gaza: Will the de-escalation on other fronts help Israel escalate its military assaults in the enclave or force it to adopt a more cautious path?Since April 8, the US and Iran have maintained a tense ceasefire after weeks of US-Israeli bombing of Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel as well as infrastructure and US assets in the Middle East. But Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a US blockade on Iranian ports loom large over the region, even as mediator Pakistan tries to bring the two rivals back to the negotiating table.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listUS President Donald Trump last week said Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks after talks between them were held at the White House to reach a long-term deal, which includes the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, a key Palestinian ally in the region.The Israel-Lebanon talks excluded Hezbollah as near-daily violations of the truce by Israel continue across southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have established a “Yellow Line” demarcating the territory they are occupying, like they have done in Gaza. Since March 2 when the latest escalation in fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah broke out, more than 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than a million displaced.M …
