US President Donald Trump's announcement of a 'historic' deal for Hamas's disarmament in Gaza did not stop the violence in the region. The deal, negotiated on July 30 through the Peace Council that Trump established for post-war governance, immediately sparked a dispute between the parties.
Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad said they would not implement the deal unless Israel stops its attacks and withdraws its troops. A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that Israeli forces would not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed.
Attacks escalate after the deal
As the fundamental disagreement persisted, Israel's attacks in Gaza intensified. A few days after the announcement of the 'historic deal,' at least 19 Palestinians were killed in a single day; by the weekend, the death toll reached 26.
Peace Council envoy Nickolay Mladenov condemned the escalation, saying, "Two days of attacks across Gaza killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on."
The attacks crowned the deadliest month in Gaza this year. Gaza's Health Ministry reported that 152 people were killed in July. Since the 'ceasefire' of October 2025, the total death toll has risen to 1,250, with over 4,100 injured.
Deadly strikes on civilian targets
Sunday's strikes hit families in their homes. A strike on the al-Sousi Tower in Gaza City killed 33-year-old Abdullah Abu Taif, his 29-year-old pregnant wife Abeer Anan, and their 5-year-old son Azzam. According to sources at Shifa Hospital, paramedics pulled the remains of an unborn baby from the rubble.
In al-Qarara near Khan Younis, a strike on an apartment building killed 38-year-old Mahmoud al-Hams, his 37-year-old wife Fatima, and their young daughters. Near Deir al-Balah, the elderly couple Kamal, 68, and Huda Abu Muailiq, 59, were killed in their home.
On Saturday night, a strike on the Al-Aqsa Hospital's medicine warehouse in Deir al-Balah destroyed two of its four storage facilities. The Israeli army said it struck a Hamas weapons depot adjacent to the hospital. Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza's Health Ministry, said the attack 'turned medicine and illness into a tool of war.'
On August 1, Gaza's Civil Defense completed a two-week search in a collapsed house in the Sabra neighborhood, pulling 112 bodies, including 40 children, from the rubble. According to Mohammed Abu Dan, who led the rescue efforts, 157 people remain missing.
Settler violence in the West Bank
The West Bank also experienced its own week of escalation. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said July was one of the deadliest months for Palestinians in settler-related incidents since October 2023.
According to a report by the Palestinian National Bureau for Land Defense and Resistance to Settlements, no soldier from Israel's settler-dominated 'Hagmar' defense units has been arrested for killing a Palestinian since at least 2017. More than 93 percent of investigation files into settler attacks were closed without charges.
International criticism also poured in. Canada's foreign ministry stated that settlements are 'illegal under international law.' Israeli officials responded by accusing Ottawa of 'encouraging terrorism.' The UN Human Rights Office said it was 'concerned' about Israel's plans to further expand settlements.
