Israel Intensifies Gaza Strikes Despite US-Backed Peace Plan

Israeli forces have escalated military operations in the Gaza Strip since the release of the roadmap for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian territory last week. The move comes despite US President Donald Trump praising Hamas's acceptance of the agreement as a significant step toward security and stability.

Meanwhile, the reality on the ground in Gaza is starkly different. At least 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Saturday, bringing the weekend death toll to 26, including women and children.

Despite Hamas agreeing to phased disarmament, the Israeli government says it has "serious security concerns" about the plan, and there is strong opposition from Israeli politicians to the deal. The continued shelling of Gaza is seen as a violation of the October ceasefire agreement, potentially threatening President Trump's peace plan and worsening the already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians in the territory.

Sudden Death

The number of attacks on Gaza has surged since Trump's announcement, which contrasts sharply with the diplomatic progress Washington has praised. The International Peace and Stability Force (ISF), established to manage post-war Gaza, announced the implementation of the next phase of the ceasefire based on a detailed 15-point roadmap.

While Hamas officially accepted the document, many questions have been raised about whether Palestinian factions can withdraw due to Israel's continued attacks on Gaza.

Eyad al-Qarra, a Palestinian political analyst living in Gaza, told Al Jazeera that this step would be an uncalculated risk for Hamas and other Palestinian groups. "There is still hope that the factions will not reach this stage. If not, it is feared the price will be higher, as Israel will exploit this to launch a broader war against Gaza," al-Qarra said, stressing the importance of the factions not giving Israel any reason or pretext to make both sides appear equally responsible for failure.

The Weapons Pretext

Instead of accepting the peace roadmap, the Israeli government has actively imposed new strict conditions. Israeli media reported that the government is demanding Hamas completely disarm and hand over weapons to a Western country, while emphasizing that no Palestinian entity may participate in managing the disarmament process.

Doron Spielman, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, said Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms, further complicating the process.

Analyst al-Qarra believes Hamas and other factions' current priority is to relieve pressure on the people, not to restore weapons or military workshops. However, while factions agree to limit weapons under international or regional supervision to end the war, they will never legitimize the complete elimination of the concept of Palestinian resistance.

Electoral Calculations

Experts point to deep internal political calculations behind Prime Minister Netanyahu's ambiguous stance on Gaza, especially as general elections are expected in October.

Mtanes Shehadeh, an expert on Israeli affairs, said the Israeli government views the Gaza agreements as merely a tactical ruse. "Israel seeks to continue killing, starving, and besieging the Gaza Strip while obstructing any real progress in the second phase of the agreement, without openly declaring rejection of the roadmap," Shehadeh said.

Netanyahu is also trying to avoid an open confrontation with Trump by appeasing him, possibly through allowing limited increases in aid to Gaza while delaying core issues like troop withdrawal. "Benjamin Netanyahu's government will continue the policy of delaying, evading, and sabotaging until the Israeli elections on October 27, because any serious implementation of the agreed roadmap would lead to electoral losses for Netanyahu," Shehadeh added.

Political analyst Ahmed al-Hila concurred with this assessment, predicting a long period of deliberate ambiguity aimed at undermining the agreement through military force on the ground. "Netanyahu and his government coalition consider accepting the agreement a political and electoral failure, as it maintains the principle of Palestinian resistance rights, prevents displacement, and paves the way for Gaza's reconstruction," al-Hila told Al Jazeera. Consequently, Israel's refusal to formalize a stance has left the crucial 14-day negotiation phase for implementation processes completely frozen.

Managing the Rubble

The Israeli army also refuses to withdraw from the first "Yellow Line" area, which covers about 52% of the entire Gaza Strip. Israel also wants full freedom of military action across the territory.

In contrast, the peace roadmap calls for empowering an independent Palestinian technocratic administration to manage civilian affairs and reconstruction in Gaza. Al-Qarra argued that granting Israel freedom of military operation would mean full occupation, rendering any Palestinian administrative authority meaningless. "An administrative committee cannot work in a vacuum; it needs heavy machinery, open border crossings, and a suitable environment to rebuild infrastructure and schools," al-Qarra said. "If an administrative committee operates in areas controlled by the Israeli military, people will see them as just a collaborationist militia."

Diplomatic Isolation

Israel has also formally objected to Qatar and Turkey's participation in the verification mechanisms of the peace roadmap and demanded their exclusion from the monitoring process. Al-Qarra views this as an attempt to strip Palestinians of regional diplomatic weight.

"Israel believes one of Hamas's strengths today at the diplomatic level is its close ties with Qatar and Turkey," al-Qarra said. "By stoking opposition to Qatar's role, Tel Aviv is trying to isolate the Palestinian side and strip it of any regional political backing that could ensure Israel adheres to its obligations."

As diplomatic processes stall, trust in the United States' role as a fair mediator continues to decline. Nickolay Mladenov, a senior envoy of the Peace Council, condemned the military escalation on social media, though he did not name Israel as the culprit. "Two days of airstrikes across Gaza have killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on," Mladenov wrote, reminding both parties of their binding obligations.

Commenting on the US role, al-Qarra stressed that Palestinian leadership harbors no illusions about Washington's bias. "The issue is not trust but the ability to neutralize America's full partnership with Israel," al-Qarra said. "The factions understand the broader regional conflict. Their goal is to maintain communication, provide data on Israeli violations, and prevent Washington from giving Israel the green light to completely destroy what remains of Gaza."