While an uneasy ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah offers the Lebanese a much-needed reprieve, Palestinians in Gaza feel abandoned even as the US pushes for renewed efforts to end fighting in the enclave.

For nearly a year, Hezbollah vowed not to stop fighting Israel until it agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza. In September, Israel stepped up its campaign against the Lebanese militant group, assassinating its leadership and launching a brutal air and ground operation in southern Lebanon that forced Hezbollah to abandon its condition for a ceasefire.

“Gaza remains alone. Hezbollah has its own calculations of giving up Gaza to preserve the remnants of its forces… that is not to our advantage,” said Hatem Mohamed, 47, a resident of Gaza City. “This agreement will allow Israel to focus only on the Palestinians and what remains of the Palestinian cause.”

Negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages have been deadlocked for months, with both sides refusing to compromise on their demands.

Qatar, a key mediator in previous Gaza ceasefire negotiations, stepped down from its role this month and closed Hamas’s political office in the capital Doha after concluding that the two sides were no longer negotiating in good faith. Turkey, which has ties to Hamas, denied reports that the group’s office had been moved to the country but said Hamas officials regularly move in and out of the country.

“I don’t think a ceasefire in Lebanon has changed much in the dynamics of a ceasefire in Gaza,” said Tahani Mustafa, senior Palestine analyst at the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank.

“Both sides have mutually exclusive demands and there is no pressure on Israel to really back down and take negotiations seriously. “Israel wants to destroy Hamas, keep the troops on the ground and possibly relocate in the north, which is unacceptable for Hamas,” she said. “Hamas wants a complete cessation of hostilities, the return of people to their homes in the north and no Israeli ground presence… this is completely unacceptable to Israel.”

Netanyahu is “not ready” to end the war

Despite the setbacks, Israeli and American leaders have signaled that the ceasefire in Lebanon could provide an opportunity to advance a ceasefire in Gaza.

The outgoing Biden administration claims there may now be “new opportunities” to advance a ceasefire and hostage-taking agreement in Gaza.

“Hamas is isolated. Hamas is now under pressure and all eyes, not just of the US and Israel, but of the rest of the world, will be on Hamas,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN this week.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said conditions for an agreement to release Israeli hostages from Gaza had “improved” but stressed that he would not agree to end Israel’s war in the enclave, as Hamas had not not yet dismantled.

“(I am) ready for a ceasefire at any time. But I am not ready to end the war because we also have to achieve the elimination of Hamas,” he said.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the U.S. will make “another push” with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, release the hostages and “end the war without the Hamas is in power.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told parliament on Wednesday that his country was ready to contribute “in every possible way.” On Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi met in Cairo to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire.

Hamas said on Wednesday it was committed to cooperating in “any efforts” to reach a ceasefire in Gaza after a ceasefire was reached in Lebanon, but reiterated its call for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the release of Palestinians prisoners and the return of Gaza residents to their homes.

In the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, more than 250 people were taken hostage and about 1,200 were killed. The following month, more than 100 hostages were released as part of a short-lived hostage and ceasefire agreement. Since then, a handful of hostages have been rescued by Israeli forces. Of the 101 hostages believed to still be held in Gaza, at least 34 are believed to be dead.

Jihad Abu Yasser, a 26-year-old baker who lives in northern Gaza, called Hamas’ negotiating tactics “a failure” and said the hostages alone were no longer sufficient leverage in talks with the Israelis.

“We persisted until half of the hostages died, and we are negotiating with a losing card… We may have less than 70 hostages alive.” If the war continues and we stall and stall the (Israelis), the hostages will die, that is our (pressure) advantage,” he said, adding that most Gazans think that way. “Everyone says: What are we negotiating about?”

“People say that if Hezbollah had ended (its war), then God willing we would be close (in Gaza) … These are lies,” Abu Yasser said. “For the love of God, stop, stop, stop (the war).”

CNN’s Dana Karni and Gul Tuysuz contributed to this report.

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