After Israel’s rejection of the Board of Peace’s (BoP) initial disarmament plan, US Special Envoy Jared Kushner and BoP officials held talks with Hamas and Israel, followed by Washington adjusting its position to prioritize Hamas’s disarmament. Meanwhile, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups continued violating the first phase of the ceasefire, according to Israel.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett vowed to declare Qatar an “enemy state” if reelected to lead the government. Among the reasons he cited was Qatar’s alleged funding of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Israel has approved the future deployment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, a significant step in implementing the US-backed peace plan. The planned multinational force is expected to support humanitarian efforts, stabilization, and a transition toward new Palestinian governance as Israel continues operations against terrorist groups in Gaza.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A Hamas operative who was killed during the recent war with Israel founded a Gaza-based charity that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars online. The charity continues to solicit donations, including through a New York-headquartered platform.

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.

The Israeli military killed Hamas commander Wasim Atallah Ali in Tripoli on March 5. The IDF said that Ali was responsible for training the group’s branch in Lebanon. His elimination adds to the growing number of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members who have been killed in Lebanon by the Israeli military.

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.

Following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has conducted a consistent military campaign against Palestinian terrorist groups in Lebanon. The Israeli military’s recent attack against a Hamas command center in the Palestinian camp of Ayin al Hilweh demonstrates that this approach continues to be Jerusalem’s preferred strategy against Palestinian armed groups that operate on Israel’s northern border.

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.
