Israel strikes Gaza City, says it targeted military operatives
Deadly strikes hit Gaza City, Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah as Hamas signaled a disarmament deal and Israel said withdrawal still depended on "genuine" disarmament.
Israeli strikes hit Gaza City, Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah overnight, killing at least eight people as Gaza’s Civil Defence Authority said military aircraft carried out the attacks. The Israeli military said it was targeting military operatives, including commanders in Hamas’ ranks, even as Palestinian officials said residential buildings were hit and civilians were among the dead.
The violence came after Hamas said on Friday, 31 July 2026, that it had agreed to a deal that would lead to the group’s disarmament in return for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. On Thursday night, 30 July 2026, Donald Trump said the Board of Peace had reached an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, and a senior Hamas official said the group had agreed to the plan and would issue an official statement soon.
Israeli officials quickly drew a line around any pullback. A senior Israeli official said troops would not withdraw from their current positions in Gaza without “genuine” Hamas disarmament, underscoring how far the sides remained from a workable ceasefire framework. Hamas has previously refused to disarm unless a sovereign Palestinian state was established, a position that has kept any agreement tied to deeper political questions far beyond weapons alone.
The latest strikes also followed days of intense bombardment. Local media reported that attacks on 29 and 30 July killed civilians and struck residential buildings across Gaza, and by 2 August the death toll from the latest wave of strikes had risen beyond the eight killed in the overnight raids. One report said Israeli strikes in Deir al-Balah targeted two commanders from Hamas’ elite Nukhba force.
The gap between the diplomatic language and the battlefield reality remained stark. Hamas had signaled movement on disarmament, Trump had announced a deal framework, and Israeli officials were still insisting on proof that Hamas would disarm before any troops pulled back, while Gaza’s civilians continued to absorb the immediate cost.
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