Hamas says still ready to go ahead with Gaza plan

GAZA CITY, Aug 8 — Hamas has reaffirmed its readiness to advance a US-backed Gaza peace plan, urging pressure on Israel, which claims it did not endorse the latest segment of the deal. The militant group has informed US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace of its commitment to the latest stage of the arrangement, which involves Hamas turning over weapons to a fledgling Palestinian governing body in the war-torn region.

A Hamas official confirmed to AFP that "Hamas and other factions have confirmed to mediators their readiness to begin implementing the agreement and move to the second phase, provided it receives Israeli approval and that Israel begins implementing the agreement." The official, speaking anonymously, called on the US administration to apply pressure on Israel to ensure compliance with the agreement and progress to the subsequent phase.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is up for re-election in October and faces significant opposition from his right-wing base to the Gaza agreement, stated on Tuesday that Israel had not agreed to the "draft" submitted by the Board of Peace. Last week, Trump had celebrated Hamas's agreement to disarmament under the plan, with the Board of Peace asserting that Israel would subsequently conduct a phased withdrawal from large parts of Gaza.

Netanyahu met with the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, on Monday. Mladenov later stated that Israel would only withdraw once Hamas has undergone a complete disarmament. Israel's military has vowed to continue targeting Hamas, following the group's deadliest assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. However, recent Israeli operations in Gaza seem to have cooled in intensity.

Today, the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis reported three individuals injured by gunfire from the Israeli army. Israeli operations in Gaza have resulted in 1,257 Palestinian fatalities since October of last year, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose statistics are considered trustworthy by the United Nations. The Israeli army has reported five deaths in its own forces during the same period.