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Source: https://www.jns.org/analysis/how-is-the-iran-war-impacting-gaza
How Is the Iran War Impacting Gaza?
(JNS) Shimon Sherman - The eruption of the Iran war on Feb. 28 forced Israel to divert its primary air force, infantry and intelligence units toward the Iranian and Lebanese theaters. It compensated for its reduced footprint in Gaza by initiating a spike in targeted attacks on Hamas commanders throughout the strip. At the same time, Hamas forces have significantly ramped up operations to secure control of the civilian population and to destroy rivals. The U.S. State Department recently verified footage documenting "masked Sahm [internal security] operatives physically tearing down the tents and stalls of displaced Gazans in Khan Yunis who refused to pay taxes, illustrating a brutal campaign to suppress internal dissent." The core architecture of Hamas's financial solvency relied heavily on smuggling networks managed and directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, noted that Iran was still giving significant aid to Hamas. "Hamas understands that if this [Iranian] regime collapses or is weakened to the degree that it will not be able to continue supporting Hamas, they are in big trouble," he said. Multiple IRGC commanders responsible for collaboration with Palestinian terror groups were neutralized in the early days of the campaign. The Iran war has had a deep financial impact on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, potentially dealing a blow to Gaza's long-term reconstruction prospects. Iran has systematically struck critical energy and civilian infrastructure across all six GCC states, leading to a 50% cut in its projected GDP growth rate for 2026. Faced with direct physical damage to their territory and the existential economic threat of a prolonged regional war of attrition, the billions of Gulf dollars which were considered critical for the Gaza rebuilding plan are increasingly unlikely to materialize.