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 .

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