Israeli airstrikes in Gaza claimed the lives of at least four Palestinians on Sunday, marking the second consecutive day of aerial bombardment, despite a recent announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding a breakthrough in implementing a Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli warplanes conducted separate strikes in Gaza City and Deir al-Balah. In Deir al-Balah, located in the central Gaza Strip, an airstrike on an apartment resulted in the deaths of a man and his wife, with four other individuals sustaining injuries. A separate strike in Gaza City targeted an apartment, killing two people, including a child, according to medical personnel.
The intensified strikes occurred days after President Trump stated a breakthrough had been achieved, asserting that Hamas had agreed to disarm as part of a U.S.-backed initiative to enact the ceasefire agreement brokered last year in Egypt. A 15-point roadmap outlining the final steps for this implementation was reportedly published by Trump's Board of Peace on Friday.
However, the roadmap's implementation remains uncertain. Hamas has indicated it will only relinquish its weapons for safekeeping after Israel ceases military operations and withdraws its forces, consistent with the terms of the prior agreement. An Israeli official, speaking to Reuters, stipulated that Israeli forces would maintain their current positions unless Hamas undergoes "genuine disarmament."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly addressed the U.S. initiative. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has publicly opposed it, deeming it unacceptable and advocating for continued targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders. Meanwhile, former Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, operating from the United Arab Emirates, suggested via Facebook that Jared Kushner, a senior advisor involved in the U.S. initiative, had informed him of efforts to halt attacks on Gaza in coordination with the Israeli side. Dahlan emphasized that continued U.S.-Israel contacts were crucial for the agreement's full implementation and that its success hinged on Israel's complete cessation of daily assaults on Gaza.
