Israel-Hamas war: Trump’s US election win brings little hope for Palestinians— ‘There is nothing left, Gaza is finished’

Palestinians, reeling under the devastating Israel-Gaza war, on Wednesday urged Donald Trump, who won the US presidential election, to end the conflict.

The decades-old conflict turned into a war after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which has taken an appalling human toll in the Gaza Strip and displaced lakhs of its residents.

"We were displaced, killed... there's nothing left for us, we want peace," Mamdouh al-Jadba, who was displaced to Gaza City from Jabalia, told AFP.

"I hope Trump finds a solution, we need someone strong like Trump to end the war and save us, enough, God, this is enough," said the 60-year-old.

"I was displaced three times, my house was destroyed, my children are homeless in the south... There's nothing left, Gaza is finished."

A woman who identified herself as Umm Ahmed Harb, from the Al-Shaaf area east of Gaza City, urged Trump to "stand by our side" and end the territory's suffering.

"God willing the war will end, not for our sake but for the sake of our young children who are innocent, they were martyred and are dying of hunger," she told AFP.

For Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where violence has also surged since October last year, Trump's victory was reason to fear for the future.

Imad Fakhida, a school principal in the main West Bank city of Ramallah, said, "Trump's return to power... will lead us to hell and there will be a greater and more difficult escalation."

"He is known for his complete and greatest support for Israel," he added.

"Trump is firm in some decisions, but these decisions could serve Israel's interests politically more than they serve the Palestinian cause," said Samir Abu Jundi, a 60-year-old in the city of Ramallah, as per the AFP report.

The United States is Israel's main political and military backer and despite pressure from President Joe Biden's administration for a ceasefire, the support has not wavered.

During his first term in office, Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights and helped normalise ties between Israel and several Arab states under the so-called Abraham Accords.