GAZA (Realist English). More than three days have passed since US President Donald Trump announced a “breakthrough” in efforts to implement a peace plan for Gaza.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to speak publicly about the deal, which provides for the disarmament of Hamas and the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Instead, the premier’s silence has been accompanied by a sharp escalation: over the weekend, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza killed at least 28 people – the deadliest violence in recent weeks.
Trump’s ‘breakthrough’ and Netanyahu’s silence
On 30 July, Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to full disarmament as part of a US‑backed initiative to implement a ceasefire agreement reached in Egypt last year.
On 31 July, the “Board of Peace” – a body created by Trump to oversee post‑war reconstruction in Gaza – published a 15‑point “roadmap” outlining the final stages of implementing the agreement.
However, Netanyahu remains silent. Instead, senior ministers and anonymous “senior officials” are expressing Israel’s disagreement with the plan, despite Trump’s assurances that Israel is “very happy” with the deal.
As WTOP News notes, “while Netanyahu remains silent, his political allies are not – underscoring the political sensitivity of Trump’s Gaza plan less than three months before Israel’s elections in October.”
Escalation: strikes on Gaza over the weekend
In defiance of the agreement’s call for an immediate ceasefire, Israeli strikes on Gaza continued. According to UN data, more than 25 Palestinians were killed over the weekend as a result of airstrikes, artillery shelling and gunfire across Gaza.
Palestinian sources give different figures: from 18 to 28 dead, including several children. On Saturday night, strikes hit residential areas of Gaza City, Khan Yunis and Deir al‑Balah.
According to a statement from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Saturday’s attack near Al‑Aqsa Hospital destroyed critical medical supplies, including those delivered by the WHO. Over the past day, according to the UN, at least 1,230 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since the October truce.
Israel’s position: ‘no troop withdrawal without genuine disarmament’
Israeli officials have made it clear they have no intention of withdrawing troops from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed. On Sunday, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Israel had not signed any agreement to halt strikes.
“Any armed entity that acts or threatens – we will eliminate it,” he said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir called the deal “unacceptable” and called for continued targeted killings of Hamas leaders. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded that the cabinet hold an immediate new vote on the plan, saying the text was “completely different” from what had been discussed.
According to Cohen, the Israeli cabinet had not discussed the plan in the previous 72 hours. An official from the prime minister’s office said the publicly available version “does not reflect Israel’s position.” Netanyahu is demanding that Hamas disarmament and the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip precede any phase of reconstruction.
Special envoy visit: pressure and promises
On Monday, 3 August, the Board of Peace’s special representative for Gaza, Nikolay Mladenov, arrived in Jerusalem for a meeting with Netanyahu. According to two informed sources, Mladenov also demanded that Netanyahu halt Israeli strikes.
After the meeting, the Board of Peace said that the withdrawal of Israeli forces behind the “yellow line” would take place only after the complete completion of disarmament, as Hamas had pledged to the mediators. “The goal is clear and beyond doubt: the complete removal of weapons from the sector and the transition from rule by force to civilian administration. Achieving this goal will be a process,” the statement said.
However, hopes for a softening of Israel’s position were dashed. After the meeting, an Israeli official said that “Israel will not withdraw from its current line in Gaza and will continue to eliminate any threat to our citizens and soldiers.”
US‑Israeli relations over Gaza have entered a phase of open tension. While Trump has announced a deal, Netanyahu continues to remain silent. Ultra‑right ministers are pressuring the premier to abandon the deal.
As WTOP notes, “any hope that the meeting could lead to a public softening of Israel’s position seemed unfounded when an Israeli official issued a statement after the meeting, stressing Israel’s refusal to withdraw its forces.”
Disarmament, even under the most optimistic scenario, will take 200 to 350 days, and less than three months remain before Israel’s October elections. The question of whether Trump can overcome the Israeli premier’s resistance remains open.
