While the war in Iran gets attention, what’s happening in Gaza?

0:00This message comes from USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, World Class Expertise, Advanced Treatments, Clinical Trial Access, and Personalized Care. Request an appointment at kekmedicine.org slash USC Cancer, or 1-800-USC-CARE. Today on State of the World, while the war in Iran gets attention, what's happening in Gaza? You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories up close where they're happening. It's Thursday, March 12. I'm Greg Dixon. Five months ago, President Trump declared a ceasefire in Gaza. The deal he negotiated involved a phased Israeli withdrawal and Hamas disarmament. But that was before the US and Israel launched a war in Iran, which has taken away the Trump administration's attention. With help from Honest Baba in Gaza, NPR's Aeobotrawi tells us

1:00that the Palestinian territory continues to be cut off from the outside world and gains towards a durable peace have been paused or reversed. Bombed out mosques in Gaza City are packed with worshippers standing in its mounds of rubble, praying in these final nights of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The mood is uneasy. A key border crossing with Egypt had finally opened last month, allowing some people to return to Gaza and some wounded to leave. The opening of Rafah Crossing was a sign of progress in Trump's ceasefire plan. But after Israel and the US launched war on Iran, Israel closed all of Gaza's borders. Under US pressure, it reopened one crossing for the limited entry of food and fuel to keep hospitals running. Rakan al-Harani, a 26-year-old resident of Gaza, says they're feeling the knock on effects of the war in Iran. He says it's not a ceasefire if the Rafah Crossing is closed.

2:02He says people should be able to go and come to be free from this prison we're in. Israeli forces still occupy more than half of Gaza. Artillery in gunfire is her day and night. Israel says it continues to target Hamas, but hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the ceasefire. And Pierre's reporter in Gaza and Aspaba says people are feeling squeezed. Prices are high, money is tight, and safety remains fragile. The sky is never quiet, drones hum constantly, helicopters' battle and since the Iran-USA war began, we have seen Iranian missiles pass through our atmosphere towards Tel Aviv. But it was just three weeks ago that President Trump presided over the first meeting of his newly formed board of peace. Several billion dollars in pledges were made toward Gaza's reconstruction. And five countries said they would join an international stabilization force in Gaza. Today, the world's focus is on the Iran war and its spill over across the region. Negotiations on the crucial next steps of Gaza's ceasefire plan,

3:05like Hamas disarming in Israel with drawing, are suspended. Now everything's frozen, and Gaza's a disaster, and no one's paying attention to it. That's Gershon Baskin, a veteran Israeli hostage negotiator and peace activist. He says the Gaza executive board that's supposed to report to Trump's board of peace, and includes the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Whitkopf, have not held a single meeting yet. The two men were in charge of nuclear talks with Iran just before the war. Baskin says he wrote a letter to Whitkopf this week expressing his concern about what could happen if progress stalls in Gaza. The Israelis will say Hamas has based itself, Hamas has rearmed, Hamas is stronger now. We need a green light from Washington to finish off Hamas, and this is my biggest fear that because nothing is happening in Gaza and there's a vacuum of power that the Americans will give a green light to Israel to finish off Hamas to restart the war. Influential members of Israel's far right governing coalition have spoken out against Trump's peace plan

4:09and want to finish off Hamas militarily. For now, Israel's military says approximately 200 trucks are entering Gaza daily through one crossing. That's a fraction of what the UN says is needed. In Gaza, 23-year-old Muhammad al-Baghdadi says the ceasefire, if it can be called that, has just put life on hold without any real breakthrough. He says that while the situation is better than before, the ceasefire simply put Gaza on a back burner. Ayyab al-Trawi and Pierre News Dubai with Anna Spaba in Gaza City. That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening. This message comes from Bombas. This message comes from Mintmobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees and free perks, Mintmobile might be right for you with plans starting from $15 a month. Shop plans today at Mintmobile.com slash switch.

5:13This message comes from Mintmobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees and free perks, Mintmobile might be right for you with plans starting from $15 a month. Shop plans today at Mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three month five gigabyte plan required. New customer offer for first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra see Mintmobile for details. This message comes from IXL. IXL's level-up diagnostic gives immediate benchmark results, along with personalized action plans that link directly to IXL's skill practice. More at IXL.com slash NPR.