Despite the Peace Council’s demand: reports of strikes in Gaza City
This comes despite a request by Nikolay Mladenov on behalf of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt strikes in the Strip to allow for the implementation of a ceasefire and the subsequent agreement with Hamas. Following the strikes, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey issued a joint statement calling on Israel to "meet its obligations as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip."
Despite the demand of the CEO of the Peace Council, Nikolay Mladenov, the IDF struck Gaza City on Tuesday evening, according to Palestinian reports and a military source. Shortly thereafter, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey issued a joint statement: "We, the mediating states, condemn and denounce the ongoing Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip."
In the statement, the countries called on Israel to "protect civilians, medical facilities, and humanitarian aid workers, and ensure the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip. We call on the international community to put pressure on Israel to comply with the ceasefire agreement."
Earlier today, Mladenov met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded that he stop the strikes in the Gaza Strip to enable the start of a 14-day ceasefire, which would lead to the implementation of the agreement with Hamas, a source familiar with the details told Walla.
According to the same source, Israel does not believe that Hamas's disarmament is feasible and insists that the IDF will only withdraw once the threat is removed. The Peace Council confirmed the call and clarified: "Contrary to inaccurate reports, we note that the IDF’s withdrawal beyond the yellow line will occur only after the completion of disarmament, as Hamas committed to the mediators. This applies to light weapons, heavy weapons, and tunnels."
Only yesterday, Mladenov sharply criticized the Israeli strikes in the Strip: "Two days of strikes across the Gaza Strip took the lives of civilians and destroyed essential medical equipment on which the population relies. This follows intensive efforts by the Peace Council and mediators—Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, and the United States—to bring Palestinian factions in Gaza to agree to a roadmap for the full implementation of President Trump’s plan, which includes transferring authority to a civilian administration and their disarmament."
As part of the process of decommissioning weapons in Gaza, transitioning to civilian governance, and creating a safer future for both Israelis and Palestinians, a meeting was held earlier today between High Representative Nikolay Mladenov and the relevant parties.
While the IDF continues to eliminate militants in the Gaza Strip, the White House and the Peace Council are attempting to convince themselves that the Trump administration's ambitious vision remains possible: disarming Hamas, transferring power to a technocratic Palestinian body, establishing an international force, and transforming Gaza from a terror arena into a rebuilt region.
However, as days pass, the gap between theory and operational reality is becoming clearer. Over the past two days, the IDF announced a series of targeted eliminations of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and "Army of Islam" militants, including field commanders and Nukhba militants who participated in the October 7 massacre.
According to the IDF, all those targeted were involved in advancing terror operations against Israeli forces and civilians, and the strikes were carried out to remove an immediate threat. At the same time, the IDF emphasized that its forces are deployed in the Strip in accordance with the agreement and will continue to act against any security threat.
From Israel’s perspective, there is no contradiction. Even if a political process is underway, Israel does not relinquish its right to act against militants who continue to attempt attacks.
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