Behind the noise of an ‘Iran deal’, Palestine continues to burn

What Happened

On 22 March 2025, the US and Iran announced a nuclear deal, dominating headlines and framing regional conflicts as resolved. However, the article reports that Israel’s military operations in Palestine have continued unabated since the October 2024 ceasefire, with over 2,000 documented violations and at least 981 Palestinians killed, many children. Israeli forces have expanded their control inside Gaza: by mid-March, the IDF provided aid groups maps showing it held 64% of the territory, up from 53% under the ceasefire terms, and in late May, Prime Minister Netanyahu told a settler conference that the army controlled 60% and was ordered to take 70%, aiming for full annexation. Palestinians are barred from most of Gaza’s farmland east of the ‘yellow line’, leading to enforced starvation; farmers, fishermen, and families attempting to return are shot. In the occupied West Bank, settler violence continues with military support: a seven-month-old baby, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers near Hebron, and villages like Sinjil are encaged in barbed wire with residents denied access to their land. Concurrently, in southern Lebanon, Israel has ordered the evacuation of areas south of the Litani River, affecting 1.2 million people, with hospitals and ambulances struck and white phosphorus used. The article argues that the Iran deal obscures this ongoing war and territorial expansion.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The reported expansion of Israeli control in Gaza to over 60% and the concurrent violence in the West Bank and southern Lebanon indicate a strategic effort to permanently alter territorial realities under the cover of a regional security narrative. By framing operations as part of a broader war with Iran, Israel continues to impose de facto annexation and displacement, while the US–Iran deal risks normalizing these actions and deprioritizing the Palestinian crisis, undermining prospects for a durable settlement and exacerbating humanitarian catastrophe.

Watch For

Monitor whether the Israeli military solidifies control over 70% of Gaza as Netanyahu ordered, and if settler violence and land confiscation in the West Bank escalate further. Track statements from the US and other mediators on whether the Iran deal includes any conditions or commitments regarding Palestinian territories. Watch for renewed international legal actions (ICC/ICJ) in response to continued displacement and starvation tactics.