Israeli airstrikes struck Gaza for a second consecutive day on Sunday, August 2, 2026, killing at least 18 Palestinians, according to medics and Palestinian health officials. The strikes targeted multiple locations including Gaza City in the north, Deir al-Balah in the center, and Khan Younis in the south, resulting in the highest daily death toll in weeks.

A man and his wife were killed and four others wounded in an airstrike on a flat in Deir al-Balah, while two more people, including a child, were killed in a strike on a flat in Gaza City. Additionally, a separate attack near Khan Younis wounded five people and set tents ablaze.

These attacks occurred despite US President Donald Trump's recent announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year's Gaza ceasefire agreement, which raised hopes that Palestinian Hamas militants and other armed groups had agreed to disarm.

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, stated on Sunday that there was no deal to halt attacks on Gaza. He expressed skepticism about Hamas disarming and said Israel, which currently controls about 70% of the Gaza Strip, might need to take full control of the enclave if Hamas does not disarm. Cohen told Israel's Army Radio, "there had been no deal to halt attacks on Gaza and that he saw a need for Israel, which already controls 70% of the enclave, to take full control of it if Hamas did not disarm."

A spokesperson for Netanyahu's office later told Reuters that Israel had expressed concerns to the US regarding the disarmament plan.

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's lead envoy for Gaza, noted that the strikes occurred despite efforts by the board and mediators to bring Palestinian factions to agree on the roadmap for implementing Trump's plan.

Basem Naim, in a statement, said, "This escalation, coinciding with progress on the political track, clearly demonstrates that the occupation government is seeking to undermine efforts aimed at ending the war and to impose facts on the ground by force."

Former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, based in the United Arab Emirates, claimed on Facebook that Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser involved in the US initiative, was working with the Israeli side to stop attacks on Gaza.

Achieving lasting peace remains challenging but possible if all parties make their best efforts, according to statements from involved officials.

Sources