Iran has signalled that Gaza could increasingly feature in its broader regional peace plans, as senior officials linked the enclave to ongoing ceasefire and diplomatic efforts.
Esmail Qaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, warned Israel on the US social media company X on Friday that Gaza could become another arena of confrontation.
"When we said Hezbollah had Mirsad (dones), you did not pay attention, and you got caught. Who will answer for the 100 casualties?" Qaani wrote, referring to Hezbollah's battlefield capabilities.
Turning to Gaza, he added: "Gaza also has its storm. If you follow the path of your politicians, you will be caught in that storm as well. Be careful."
His remarks came shortly after Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told Al Jazeera, referring to the peace deal signed with the US this week: "We are working to achieve peace on all fronts, including Gaza, and we included Lebanon in the memorandum because of its direct link to the war."
He added that Iran is not seeking regional dominance and shares common interests with all countries in the region.
Gaza genocide
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian electronically signed a memorandum of understanding for peace.
The memorandum is intended to pave the way for ending the conflict launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28 as well as reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The memorandum calls for an immediate halt to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, but makes no direct reference to Gaza, where Israel’s genocide since 2023 has left nearly 80,000 Palestinians dead, almost the entire population of 2.3 million people displaced, and 90 percent of the infrastructure destroyed or damaged.
Analysts state the death toll from Israel's genocide is severely under-reported, with the actual figure potentially reaching 200,000 Palestinians killed or wounded.
Israeli occupation forces currently occupy more than half of Gaza, threatening to seize further territory.
Israeli troops in Gaza have killed 1,005 Palestinians in the eight months since a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon is threatening to derail the US-Iran peace deal. On Friday, Israeli forces killed at least 50 Lebanese people, including many civilians, after Hezbollah killed four occupying Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.
