Israel Warns Gaza Ceasefire Has a Clock: Disarmament or Renewed Fighting
Keren Setton reports that Israel and Hamas are again trading fire in Gaza even as a ceasefire, in place since October 2025, technically still holds—an uneasy picture of “postwar” reality that feels a lot like war with better PR. Gaza health officials say eight Palestinians were killed overnight between Saturday and Sunday, while the Israel Defense Forces has not commented publicly. Hamas claims nearly 600 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began, while Israel says four soldiers have been killed in the same period.
The fighting is unfolding as President Donald Trump presses to launch the second phase of a UN-backed, 20-point framework adopted by the UN Security Council in November 2025. The first phase included hostage releases, a partial Israeli pullback, and a halt in large-scale combat. The next phase is pitched as the real hinge point: Hamas’ complete disarmament, a full Israeli withdrawal, and a technocratic administration meant to replace Hamas as Gaza’s governing authority.
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Israeli leaders are blunt that the war goals have not changed. Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff, told troops along the “Yellow Line”—the demarcation established under the ceasefire—that Israel is “prepared to move from defense to offense” and will not abandon the aim of demilitarizing Gaza and disarming Hamas.
Analysts quoted in the piece sketch a scenario that could drag on: Israel holding “safe areas,” Hamas ruling elsewhere, and flare-ups remaining a feature, not a bug. Shaul Bartal argues Hamas views itself as less constrained by Security Council resolutions and is using the ceasefire to rebuild. Israeli assessments say Hamas is recruiting, restoring command-and-control, reviving tunnels, and scavenging or locally producing weaponry, including by exploiting unexploded ordnance.
Diplomacy is also shifting to Washington. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, is expected at President Trump’s first formal Board of Peace meeting, where the US president is slated to present a multibillion-dollar Gaza reconstruction plan and outline a Gaza Stabilization Force tasked with training police, securing borders, and disarming Hamas while sidelining the terrorist group. A Palestinian committee linked to reconstruction still has not entered Gaza, and Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov warns it cannot operate amid continuing violations.
Setton’s bottom line is clear: Gaza is trapped between a fragile diplomatic track and a battlefield that never quite cools. Read the full article for the finer grain—especially the competing incentives keeping this uneasy status quo in place.
