A Palestinian woman sits inside a building destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, August 2, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 18 Palestinians, medics said, despite announcements of progress in efforts to implement a ceasefire agreement.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, told Xinhua that Israeli drones and helicopters had carried out more than 10 airstrikes since the early hours of the morning in various parts of the enclave.
The strikes targeted residential apartments, tents sheltering displaced people, civilian vehicles, and Palestinian gatherings from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 people, including four children and two women, said Basal.
Local sources quoted by Xinhua said that those killed included Kamal Abu Mu'ailiq, a Hamas commander, and his wife, who died when their apartment in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah was targeted. The Israeli strikes came after US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups had agreed to disarm, raising hopes of a possible breakthrough in efforts to end the conflict. Trump's Board of Peace, the US-led body overseeing the ceasefire, published on Friday a 15-point roadmap setting out the final steps for implementing the agreement.
Israel's concern
On Sunday, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen – a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet – said the government would give Hamas the opportunity to disarm but that he was "very skeptical" it would happen.
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.
"In the deal we signed with the United States, our stance is that Hamas must be dismantled. This is the first thing that must happen," he added.
Later on Sunday, Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, told Reuters that "the most important concern for Israel is that nothing can happen before Hamas completely and truly disarms."
Palestinians inspect wrecked vehicle following the Israeli attack on a moving vehicle in the Al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza, August 2, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
Hamas says it has shown 'flexibility'
Hamas has said Israel must stop its attacks on Gaza and withdraw its troops, in line with other key terms of the ceasefire agreement, before it will agree to hand over its weapons to a new Palestinian body designated to administer the enclave.
Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim said on Sunday the group had demonstrated "considerable flexibility," but accused Israel of wanting to impose a de facto situation on the ground by intensifying its strikes.
"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," Naim said.
In a press statement, Hamas called on the mediators and guarantors of the ceasefire agreement to assume their responsibilities and take immediate action to pressure Israel to cease its aggression in accordance with the agreement.
Israeli attacks have killed 1,230 people since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in October 2025, bringing the total death toll in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, to 73,356, according to Gaza's health authorities.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's lead envoy for Gaza, said the strikes came despite efforts by the board and mediators to bring Palestinian factions to agree on a roadmap for implementing Trump's plan.
In a post on X, he said he was working with all parties, mediators and regional partners to "de-escalate and create the space" for the plan's full implementation.