Israel Escalates Gaza Strikes, Threatening Peace Plan
Israel intensified its strikes on Gaza in open defiance of President Trump’s peace plan, with a senior minister insisting the attacks would not stop until Palestinian groups had truly disarmed. Hamas told mediators that the continued bombardment was undermining the very disarmament agreement under negotiation. The clash cast fresh doubt on whether the fragile framework can hold.
The escalation exposed the gulf between Mr Trump’s claimed breakthrough and the reality on the ground, where neither side trusts the other to move first. Israel insists on full demilitarisation before any withdrawal; Hamas and Islamic Jihad say they cannot disarm while under fire. Palestinian officials reported further civilian deaths in the latest strikes, figures that could not be independently verified. Mediators in Cairo and Doha are struggling to hold the process together within the two-week window Washington set. Watch whether the strikes ease enough to keep the plan alive, or it unravels.