Israel carried out airstrikes in Gaza on Thursday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced a “major milestone” in peace negotiations aimed at the disarmament of Hamas, the Islamist group governing the enclave. Trump shared the announcement on his Truth Social platform, claiming that his Board of Peace had secured a deal with Hamas, though details and confirmation of the agreement remain unclear.
The announcement elicited skepticism among Palestinians in Gaza, a territory grappling with the aftermath of prolonged conflict and widespread devastation. Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 251 hostages. In response, Israel initiated a two-year military campaign against Gaza, which has led to more than 73,000 Palestinian fatalities.
A nominal ceasefire has been in effect since October 2025, yet intermittent Israeli strikes have continued, with at least 1,000 Palestinians reported killed since the ceasefire’s inception. Efforts at peace negotiations have stalled, largely due to mutual refusals by both parties to uphold key terms: Israel’s withdrawal of troops from Gaza and Hamas’s disarmament.
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Gaza’s health officials reported two Israeli airstrikes accompanied by gunfire, which resulted in one Palestinian death and several injuries. Israeli officials stated they were reviewing an airstrike targeting a member of Hamas’s armed wing but said they were unaware of any accompanying shooting.
Residents of Gaza remain trapped in a dire humanitarian situation, with widespread destruction from Israel’s air campaign and ongoing restrictions on essential resources. Many locals dismissed Trump’s claims of progress. Samir Ayad, 60, expressed doubt, stating, “We are not seeing any agreement at all, nothing from what he is saying.”
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, involved in the reported negotiations, acknowledged the group’s willingness to accept an agreement deemed “difficult and painful,” yet stopped short of confirming any commitment to disarmament.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had not publicly addressed Trump’s announcement as of Thursday evening. A deal allowing Hamas continued governance in Gaza could pose political challenges for Netanyahu, who faces Israeli elections in October. He relies on support from hard-right parties staunchly opposed to concessions involving Hamas. Sources indicated that Gaza was not discussed during Netanyahu’s recent meeting with Trump in Washington earlier this week.
Trump asserted that Israel was “very happy” with the purported agreement and described it as a “big step for the Middle East,” emphasizing that the development had surprised and impressed many observers. The two leaders’ previous joint military action against Iran in February had shifted focus away from Gaza, but divergent approaches to Iran have reportedly made Trump more open to outreach from Muslim states advocating for enduring peace in the region.
Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces shot and wounded at least one Palestinian, detained three others, and closed entrances to the village of Tal as more than 100 Israeli settlers marched in the area, highlighting ongoing tensions beyond Gaza.