On July 30, 2026, United States President Donald Trump announced a "historic agreement" aimed at the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, marking the second phase of the October 2025 ceasefire deal. This agreement was brokered through the Board of Peace, established to oversee Gaza's post-war reconstruction and governance.

However, Israeli military strikes on Gaza have intensified in the days following the announcement. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that July was the deadliest month of 2026, with 152 people killed. Among the casualties, a fetus was found amid the ruins of an Israeli strike.

A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces would not withdraw until Hamas was fully disarmed, signaling continued military operations.

The West Bank also experienced a surge in violence. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted that July, along with March, was the deadliest month for Palestinians in incidents involving settlers since October 2023.

A report by the Palestinian National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Colonization highlighted that no soldier from Israel’s settler-heavy “Hagmar” defense units has been arrested for killing a Palestinian since at least 2017, with over 93 percent of investigation files into settler attacks closed without indictment.

In the Jenin governorate, Israeli authorities seized approximately 200 dunums (0.2 square kilometers) of land, some designated for military roads extending over 11 kilometers to support a network of government-approved outposts, according to the Wafa news agency.

Additionally, an Israeli court rejected petitions against the demolition of the Zif secondary girls’ school, which serves 251 students, and three homes in Khirbet al-Mafqara, clearing the way for their imminent demolition, as reported by Wafa and local activist Osama Makhamreh.

These developments underscore ongoing tensions and violence in the region despite diplomatic efforts to establish peace.

Sources