Israel's fresh strikes on Gaza cast doubt on peace plan revival

Fares Akram and Fadwa Hodali, Bloomberg News on Aug 3, 2026

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Israel has stepped up strikes in Gaza since Hamas conditionally agreed to disarm late last week, sparking concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump’s proclaimed revival in a long-delayed peace plan may have been premature.

July was already the deadliest month for Gazans since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was agreed in October, with 152 Palestinians killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Israel says 57 of those were members of Hamas or the allied Islamic Jihad.

There were then at least 19 fatalities over the weekend after Hamas said it would give up its heavy weaponry as long as Israel withdraws from Gaza, the ministry said. The Iran-backed militant group added a number of further conditions, such as the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, that Israel is unlikely to accept.

“Two days of strikes across Gaza have killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on,” said Nickolay Mladenov, the top envoy for the U.S.-led Board of Peace, a global consortium set up to implement Trump’s post-war vision.

“My team and I are working around the clock with the parties, the mediators and regional partners to de-escalate and create the space for the full implementation of the President’s plan,” he added in a post on X. “Achieving a lasting peace is hard but achievable if everyone makes their best efforts.”

Strikes on Gaza have escalated in recent weeks, with Israel saying it’s targeting Hamas commanders. Israeli authorities accuse the Palestinian militant group of trying to buy time to recover from two years of war and of planning new attacks.

“Over the past eight months, according to Israeli intelligence, Hamas has used the ceasefire to rearm, recruit thousands of additional terrorists, rebuild its military infrastructure, and prepare for further October 7-style massacres,” said Doron Spielman, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, referring to the 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza.

Israel has yet to accept the fresh agreement with Hamas, which Trump hailed on Friday as “a monumental step toward lasting peace.”

Trump’s 20-point plan, signed by both sides in October, envisages ending Hamas’ rule and arsenal, and replacing them with a vetted Palestinian government and police that would enable reconstruction as well as reconciliation with Israel. Hamas’ agreement to shed heavy weaponry was made as part of a bridging proposal intended to revive Gaza’s peace process, after months of mediated negotiations in Cairo.

The plan also entails a reciprocal curb on Israeli military actions, which comes at a delicate time for Netanyahu as he prepares to face an election in less than three months. Israel’s longest-serving head of government hopes to win on the strength of his response to the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, making the Board of Peace’s additional call politically risky.

Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union.

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(With assistance from Dan Williams.)