At a Glance

• Hamas supports moving to phase two
• Israel disputes the latest draft
• US urged to pressure Israel
• Gaza violence continues despite ceasefire

Hamas said Saturday it remains ready to implement the US-backed Gaza peace plan and move to its second phase, while urging Washington to pressure Israel to comply with the agreement.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

• Hamas: "Ready to begin implementing the agreement and move to the second phase."
• Hamas urged Washington to pressure Israel to implement the agreement.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had not agreed to the latest "draft."
• The plan calls for Hamas and other factions to hand over their weapons to an emerging Palestinian governing body.
• The territory's Health Ministry says 1,257 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began.

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Hamas said it had informed US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace that it remains committed to the latest stage of the Gaza peace plan.

Under the proposed framework, Hamas and other armed factions would hand over their weapons to a newly established Palestinian governing body in Gaza.

A Hamas official told AFP that the group and other factions had informed mediators of their readiness to begin implementing the agreement and move to its second phase, provided Israel approves the arrangement and begins implementing its commitments.

The official also called on the US administration to pressure Israel to honor the agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel had not agreed to the "draft" presented by the Board of Peace.

Netanyahu is facing a difficult reelection campaign in October, while opposition to the Gaza agreement has also emerged from parts of his right-wing political base.

US President Donald Trump had described Hamas' reported acceptance of disarmament under the plan as a breakthrough last week.

The Board of Peace said Israel would carry out a phased withdrawal from large parts of Gaza alongside the disarmament process.

Netanyahu met Monday with Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza.

Following the meeting, Mladenov said Israel would withdraw only after Hamas had been fully disarmed, adding another condition to the implementation process.

The Israeli military has also said it will continue operations against Hamas, which carried out the deadliest attack in Israel's history on October 7, 2023.

Israeli military operations in Gaza remain ongoing but appear to have decreased in intensity in recent days.

Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis reported on Saturday that three people were injured by Israeli army gunfire.

Gaza's Health Ministry said Israeli military operations have killed 1,257 Palestinians since October last year, when the sides agreed to a Trump-backed ceasefire. The ministry operates under Hamas authorities, and the United Nations considers its casualty figures reliable.

The Israeli military has reported five deaths among its personnel during the same period.

FYI

The latest dispute centers on the sequencing of Hamas disarmament and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas says it is prepared to proceed with the second phase if Israel approves and implements the agreement, while Israeli officials have maintained that full Hamas disarmament must precede a broader military withdrawal.

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