Deal does not halt Israeli attacks
Following the announcement of a U.S.-brokered agreement aimed at disarming Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, Israeli military strikes escalated. On the weekend immediately after the deal's unveiling, 26 lives were lost in the Gaza Strip. The agreement, negotiated through the Board of Peace, was celebrated by President Donald Trump as a major step forward for Gaza’s post-war future. However, within just three days, 19 Palestinians were killed in a wave of Israeli attacks, raising concerns about the agreement's effectiveness.
Deadliest month in Gaza since January
The escalation saw attacks targeting civilian homes and critical infrastructure, including medical facilities. In Gaza City, a missile struck the al-Sousi Tower, claiming the lives of 33-year-old Abdullah Abu Taif, his 29-year-old pregnant wife Abeer Anan, and their five-year-old son, Azzam. Medics at al-Shifa Hospital later discovered the remains of an unborn child in the wreckage. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that July was the deadliest month for Palestinians in Gaza since January, with 152 people killed in Israeli attacks.
Board of Peace condemns escalation
Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov issued a strong condemnation of the attacks, describing them as having “killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on.” He avoided naming Israel directly in his statement. The attacks in Deir el-Balah included a strike that destroyed a hospital's medicine warehouse, as reported by Gaza's Health Director-General. He described the attack as turning medicine and illness into a tool of war.
Gaza’s Civil Defence teams recovered 112 bodies from one single flattened home in the Sabra neighborhood, 40 of them children. Dozens of people are still unaccounted for, and many remain buried under the wreckage. Thousands of bodies are believed to be still entombed in rubble across the Gaza Strip.
The military operations also expanded the so-called “Yellow Line” in Gaza, where Israeli forces erected new concrete barriers, cutting displaced families off from one of the few remaining accessible roads. This move further restricted movement and added to the humanitarian crisis. In the West Bank, settler violence reached alarming levels, with more than 1,380 incidents recorded since the start of 2026. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that July was among the deadliest months for Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023.
The situation in Gaza remained grim, with more tragic casualties reported this week. In the Bureij refugee camp, one-year-old Zaid Nofal was killed when a strike hit his family's home. Additionally, an elderly couple, Kamal and Huda Abu Muailiq, both in their 60s, were found dead in their home after another Israeli attack. Two brothers riding a motorbike in the same area were also killed.
As the violence continued, the civilian toll mounted. On the first three days of August alone, the conflict resulted in the deaths of dozens of people. In the Remal neighborhood of Gaza City, a strike on a tent shelter killed two people, including a child. Later the same evening, a drone strike near the Sharia Court in the same area killed four more people. Israel claimed the attack targeted military operatives, but the strikes have largely failed to differentiate between combatants and civilians.
The attacks extended to critical medical infrastructure. The destruction of these facilities has further undermined the already struggling healthcare system in Gaza.
Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas negotiator, expressed his group's refusal to implement the deal unless Israel fulfilled its commitments, which include halting attacks and withdrawing troops. This fundamental disagreement has left the situation in a stalemate. As a result, Israeli attacks have continued, and in many cases, intensified, showing little sign of slowing down.
The Board of Peace, established by Trump, remains under scrutiny as it attempts to mediate the crisis. While the group has expressed concern over the rising civilian toll, its influence appears limited. The ongoing conflict has shown that, despite diplomatic efforts, the ground reality remains unchanged. With more deaths and displacement continuing to mount, the people of Gaza and the West Bank face an increasingly dire humanitarian situation, with little hope for an immediate resolution.