Why Israel keeps striking Gaza despite US-brokered ceasefire

Israel has continued military operations in Gaza, intensifying strikes since US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a “historic agreement” to implement the next phase of the ceasefire.

Dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed or wounded in recent days. Although Hamas accepted the proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out withdrawing from the enclave.

What does the latest ceasefire roadmap propose?

The plan emerged from talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the US under the Washington-led Board of Peace. It outlines the next phase of the October ceasefire.

Under the proposal, Hamas would begin a phased disarmament process while Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza in stages. Civilian governance would be transferred to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Palestinian technocratic body, followed by reconstruction efforts and the deployment of an international stabilization force.

Trump described the proposal as a “monumental step toward lasting peace and security” and a key milestone in his broader plan for Gaza.

What do Hamas and Israel say?

The two sides remain at odds over the sequencing of the agreement’s key provisions.

Netanyahu has said Israel did not agree to the Board of Peace’s plan and will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed, insisting the IDF will remain in the enclave’s so-called security zones “as long as necessary.” Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has also dismissed the roadmap as “unacceptable,” arguing military operations should continue.

Hamas has reportedly formally accepted the proposal but insists disarmament cannot take place while Israeli forces remain in Gaza and the attacks continue. The group says any handover of heavy weapons depends on a complete Israeli withdrawal, an end to hostilities, reconstruction, international guarantees and progress toward Palestinian statehood.

 
What’s going on in Gaza?

Israeli military operations have continued despite the ceasefire framework. Strikes reported across the enclave in recent days have pushed the number of Palestinians killed since the truce took effect to over 1,250, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The truce has enabled recovery teams to access parts of the devastated enclave, where the remains of victims killed during earlier stages of the war continue to be uncovered. This week, Palestinians held a mass funeral for more than 100 bodies recovered from the rubble of a residential block in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to health officials. At least 7,400 people are estimated to remain buried beneath the rubble, although the true figure is believed to be significantly higher.

Nearly Gaza’s entire population of more than two million has been displaced. Much of the enclave has been destroyed, while overcrowded tent camps, shortages of food and medical supplies, and outbreaks of infectious diseases have compounded what the UN and humanitarian organizations have described as a severe humanitarian crisis.

 
What do the mediators say?

The continued strikes have drawn criticism from the countries that mediated the roadmap. In a joint statement, Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar condemned ongoing Israeli “violations” in Gaza, particularly strikes on healthcare facilities and medical infrastructure, saying they amounted to a “flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”
 
The three countries urged Israel to uphold its commitments under the ceasefire agreement, warning that continued military operations constitute “a breach of the agreement” and undermine efforts to implement its second phase. They also called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel.

How could Israel’s upcoming elections shape the war?

Israel is due to hold parliamentary elections on October 27, the country’s first since the outbreak of the Gaza war. Netanyahu enters the campaign facing scrutiny over his handling of the conflict, an ongoing corruption trial and growing calls for an inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7 attack.

Analysts say those domestic political pressures have made the US-backed roadmap politically difficult to embrace. Netanyahu’s coalition relies on far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, some of which oppose a withdrawal from Gaza and have repeatedly called for military operations to continue until Hamas is destroyed. Accepting the proposal could jeopardize support from key coalition partners, while rejecting it risks further straining ties with Washington.

The vote also comes as the country remains engaged on multiple fronts across the region, including in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. At the same time, settlement expansion and violence in the occupied West Bank have intensified, drawing mounting international criticism and adding to the challenges facing Netanyahu’s government.