The US-led Board of Peace said on July 8 that it would soon begin setting up a “pilot zone” in Gaza that would bring unarmed civilians screened for Hamas links across the Yellow Line into the Israeli-controlled portion of the territory. Meanwhile, Hamas has escalated ceasefire violations in the areas it still controls as the group works to rebuild its forces.
Hamas said that it is prepared to dissolve its governing institutions in Gaza and transfer authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a key component of the US- and UN-backed ceasefire framework. As negotiations continue, Israeli officials argue that Hamas surrendering administrative control without relinquishing weapons would leave Hamas as the dominant force behind the scenes.
Anti-Hamas organizers in Gaza had hoped June 26 would bring a wave of large demonstrations against the terror group. However, Hamas worked to lower turnout with arrests, threats, and armed street deployments.
Efforts to advance the US-backed peace plan for Gaza have continued amid difficult negotiations over Hamas’s disarmament and the future security structure of the enclave. Talks in Cairo involving Hamas, Egyptian officials, and representatives of the Board of Peace have focused on implementing key provisions related to weapons restrictions and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force.
Following the high-profile eliminations of two Hamas military wing leaders, the Israeli military turned to targeting lower-level officials in the group who are leading its rearmament push, as well as members of other Gaza terrorist organizations.
Despite multiple attempts by Israel to quell the fighting in Gaza and decapitate Hamas’s leadership, the group continues a guerilla-style resistance. The IDF now fights on three active fronts: Lebanon, Iran, and Gaza. But it’s perhaps the forgotten war in Gaza that could resume major hostilities if left unchecked. Bill Roggio speaks with FDD Research Analyst Samuel Ben-Ur about next steps in Gaza.
Less than two weeks after Hamas named Mohammed Odeh as its new military commander, Israel eliminated him. The IDF also targeted a number of other high-profile Hamas members as the terrorist group continues refusing to disarm.
After the elimination of Al Qassam Brigades leader Izz al Din al Haddad on May 15, Hamas has reportedly turned to longtime senior member Mohammed Odeh to take the reins of the group’s military wing. As Hamas reportedly rearms and reconstitutes its strength, the IDF reports that its members and other Palestinian terrorists have continued to violate the ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli military attacked an apartment in Gaza City, targeting Izz al Din al Haddad, Hamas’s leader in Gaza. Al Haddad is one of the last remaining senior members of Hamas who were responsible for the October 7 attack.
Israel is expanding civilian security preparedness in communities near the Gaza border through a new training program led by Magen 48, a non-profit civilian-led initiative, in cooperation with the Israel Defense Forces. The program, created after the October 7 Hamas attack, trains local volunteer armed response teams in tactics, medical support, and community defense.
Open-source information and commercially available facial recognition tools have identified three suspects— Amjad Qadoum, Yasir Samir, and Mustafa Shaheen—who were involved in the October 7 Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel. Facial recognition tools and social media exploitation can yield verifiable identity data from the extensive footage recorded by the terrorists’ own devices.
Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists continued to violate the Gaza ceasefire toward the end of April and beginning of May, according to Israeli military reports. Hamas remains adamant that it will not even begin to discuss disarmament before a complete IDF withdrawal from the territory.
Kosovo has moved toward contributing forces for the International Stabilization Force (ISF) mission in Gaza, sending a military team to assess a future deployment area and coordinate with local and multinational officials. The security situation in Gaza remains tense despite a ceasefire, with uncertainty over Hamas’s disarmament.
Hamas has reportedly indicated a readiness to give up thousands of rifles belonging to its police and internal security forces. The weapons conceded would still fail to meet the total disarmament required by President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. The Israel Defense Forces also tracked five ceasefire violations between April 17 and 21.
Kinetic events and military actions continue in Gaza, including 14 violations of the fragile ceasefire by Palestinian terrorists, according to the Israeli military. The Israel Defense Forces has documented an uptick in planned attacks against Israeli soldiers in the enclave.
While the US-Israeli war with Iran has taken center stage, Israel’s Gaza front remained active, despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10 of last year. The Israeli military has documented 22 ceasefire violations by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups since the war with Iran began on February 28.
While attention has shifted to the conflicts in Iran and Lebanon, Gaza remains under a fragile ceasefire, with ongoing low-level clashes. High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov highlighted progress toward a disarmament framework tied to UN-backed plans. Despite this, Hamas continues to consolidate control in parts of the territory as Israel targets militants and terrorist infrastructure.
Turkish spy chief Ibrahim Kalin’s March 22 meeting with senior Hamas leaders in Istanbul highlights Turkey’s continued high-level engagement with the group, reinforcing Ankara’s role as a mediator in Gaza ceasefire negotiations while omitting any discussion of Hamas’s disarmament. The meeting reflects a broader pattern of Turkish support for the group, evidenced by recent US Treasury sanctions on Turkish charities linked to Hamas.
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other Palestinian terrorist organizations issued statements mourning the deaths of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Tehran regime’s other senior officials. While some groups made vague mentions of a response to the killings, none explicitly said they would retaliate against Israel or the United States.
As US President Donald Trump convened the Gaza Board of Peace for its inaugural meeting in Washington, DC, the IDF continued to report numerous ceasefire violations in the territory. Israel also struck the Ain al Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, Lebanon, stating that the target was used for the “preparation of terrorist activities against IDF forces in Lebanese territory.”
At a February 19 meeting of the US-backed Board of Peace in Washington, DC, five countries pledged troops to an International Stabilization Force for Gaza, and representatives of 40 nations committed approximately $7 billion in funding. The initiative is part of the second phase of a ceasefire plan launched in October 2025. Clashes between the Israel Defense Forces and militants continue in Gaza, where Israeli forces report ongoing ceasefire violations and operations against Hamas infrastructure.
Hamas warned opposing militias that their days were numbered and that the Israeli military could not protect them. The threat came after some militias have carried out successful operations against Hamas in recent weeks and months.
The US-brokered truce in Gaza is still holding but faces challenges as Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists continue to violate the terms almost daily, and the IDF responds with airstrikes. Despite the Rafah Crossing opening to pedestrian traffic, challenges are emerging surrounding procuring reconstruction funding, part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza.
The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt reopened on February 2 for limited pedestrian traffic, marking a key step in the US-backed ceasefire plan that began in October. The move followed significant Israeli airstrikes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that terrorists had emerged from a tunnel in Rafah, violating the ceasefire. The IDF continued operations in Gaza, reporting additional clashes with suspected terrorists and the discovery of weapons and tunnels near Khan Younis along the Yellow Line.
The Popular Forces captured Adham al Akar, a Hamas company commander in Rafah, and transferred him to Israeli custody. Akar’s capture underscores the growing role of local anti-Hamas militias in conducting offensive operations against the Islamist organization. However, with the ceasefire framework expected to bring further Israeli military withdrawals from Gaza, these groups may face mounting strategic risks.
The body of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza was returned to Israel by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on January 26. Ran Gvili, an Israeli police sergeant who was killed in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, had been held in Gaza since the day of the attack. The second phase of the US-backed Gaza peace plan is expected to proceed with the limited opening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. On January 24, US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel to discuss the next phase of the ceasefire and Kushner’s Gaza reconstruction plan.
The US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan is entering its second phase, with the new National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the Board of Peace set to play key roles. Twenty-five countries have accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the Board of Peace, while five have declined. Palestinian terrorists reportedly violated the ceasefire’s first phase 11 additional times between January 9 and January 22.
On January 16, the White House announced a number of appointments to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) and the Board of Peace, which will support the stabilization and demilitarization of Gaza, after the Gaza ceasefire, which began in October, moved into its second phase on January 14. The Israel Defense Forces clashed with gunmen in the territory on January 14 and responded with airstrikes.
The Popular Forces militia claimed that it eliminated two members of Hamas. The group and its anti-Hamas allies continue to operate in Gaza despite threats by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist factions to dismantle the organizations.
The search resumed this week for the body of Ran Gvili, a police officer killed on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas invasion of southern Israel. Despite being given only 72 hours to return all hostages, both living and deceased, on October 10, Hamas has yet to do so.