Two months until US elections: Gaza war impacts US election campaign for Democrats and Republicans

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi
 
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a key swing state, President Joe Biden participated for the first time in his party's campaign, not as a presidential candidate but as a supporter of his current Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris.  

The campaign event's timing and location were carefully chosen, coinciding with Labor Day in a state historically tied to the working class, especially in industries like steel, coal, and manufacturing.

Pennsylvania is not the only state teetering between the two major parties. 

Other swing states include Michigan, home to over 300,000 Arab Americans, a significant voting bloc that cannot be ignored. Biden and Harris are set to visit Michigan later this week.

The Gaza war and the issue of returning hostages have become focal points in the election, with Democrats and Republicans offering starkly different approaches. 

While the Biden administration seeks to end the war by proposing a new and final deal, the Republican Party insists on more support for Israel. 

Amid these differing approaches, six hostages, including an American, were killed in Gaza.

A notable development in the situation came from Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Ubaida, who indicated that new instructions had been given to fighters guarding hostages after the Nuseirat incident, where the Israeli army found four hostages alive during a raid that claimed the lives of over 200 Palestinians. 

These new instructions were issued to the fighters assigned to guard the hostages regarding how to deal with them if the Israeli army approaches their place of detention.

This statement heightens the likelihood that Hamas killed the six hostages after being surrounded by Israeli forces. Abu Ubaida's remarks coincided with the release of a symbolic image by Al-Qassam Brigades, adding further complexity to the situation.

As the US elections are due in two months, this volatile matter could have severe repercussions for the candidates, especially with Hamas holding seven more American hostages.