Amid the regional storm: Gaza is left alone to face hunger and death.

While the Israeli-Iranian confrontation dominates the international media and political scene, Gaza, already exhausted, is absent from screens and news bulletins, as if it were no longer an open arena for fire and tragedy. A new war is capturing the world's attention, but the old war in Gaza has not stopped; it has instead escalated in deadly silence.

The prolonged blockade, ongoing airstrikes, and complete collapse of infrastructure have pushed the Gaza Strip into a state of near-total famine. With aid movement restricted and the entry of aid obstructed, aid distribution centers have often become a deadly trap for civilians. Scenes of bodies lying on the roads as they attempt to reach food trucks are no longer rare; they have become a recurring pattern, revealing an unprecedented brutality in the targeting of the poor and hungry.

Amid this tragic reality, the Abu Shabab group emerged, transforming from a local formation with limited influence into an effective force on the ground, tasked with protecting relief convoys and organizing their distribution. In the absence of a state and the confusion among factions, the group found itself in a position of responsibility, even influence.

The question many are asking today is: Has Hamas, the entity governing the Gaza Strip, begun to rely on the assistance of entities such as the Abu Shabab group or even American aid delivered through intermediaries? Has it shirked its direct responsibility to secure the people's basic needs and relied on aid as a permanent solution?

The facts on the ground indicate a complex situation: on the one hand, Hamas is facing enormous military and political pressure, while on the other, public confidence in its ability to manage the humanitarian situation has begun to erode. Leaving the arena open to local groups to assume vital roles raises questions about the true decision-making center in the Strip, and whether these groups are a temporary alternative or have transformed into a new, undeclared political actor.

It's clear that the war in Gaza has entered a new phase, not just a military one, but primarily a humanitarian one. What's striking is that global interest in it dwindles whenever a larger or more camera-grabbing conflict erupts. In the Israeli-Iranian war, the cameras and the positions were on full display, but in Gaza, people are dying of hunger under forgotten rubble, without any sufficient noise to stop the bleeding.

Ultimately, an entire people cannot be left as victims of geopolitical calculations and the balance of interests. While the world has chosen to temporarily turn its back on Gaza, local forces, led by Hamas, must reassess their priorities and face the truth: the responsibility to ensure life is not a secondary concern, but the core of moral and political legitimacy.