Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy accused Israel of sabotaging the roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire through intensified attacks on the enclave and a large-scale military campaign in the West Bank, calling for Israel to be held fully accountable for frustrating mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States [12][29]. The accusation came as Israel formally conveyed what prime minister's office spokesperson Doron Spielman described as "comments and concerns" to Washington about the Gaza peace plan, stating that the version made public "does not reflect Israel's positions" [6][7][9]. Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey issued a joint statement condemning Israel's ongoing strikes as "a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law," citing the targeting of healthcare facilities and civilian casualties including women and children [1][4][8][14]. AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik stated that "Netanyahu'nun tek amacı Gazze'yi tamamen yok etmektir" (Netanyahu's only goal is the complete destruction of Gaza) [35], and the Turkish Foreign Ministry accused the Netanyahu government of lacking the will for peace [26]. Hamas had previously warned of a deliberate Israeli escalation to paralyze the agreement [12].
Israel's position centers on what Spielman called "the genuine, verifiable and irreversible demilitarisation of Hamas" as an indispensable first step [6][18]. A spokesperson for Netanyahu stated that disarmament means "die physische Abgabe der Waffen. Nichts weniger als das" (the physical handover of weapons, nothing less), and that the Israeli military will not withdraw from Gaza before this happens [18]. Energy Minister Eli Cohen said no deal had been reached to halt attacks and that Israel should take full control of Gaza if Hamas does not disarm [5][13]. President Isaac Herzog offered a more positive assessment, calling the developments "a very positive step with the clear caveat and undertaking that Hamas must be disarmed" [6][9].
The sequencing dispute between Israeli withdrawal and Hamas disarmament remains unresolved. Hamas announced it was ready to disarm as part of the US-brokered plan but insisted on an Israeli pullout first [2], rejecting the term "disarmament" while saying it would hand over weapons for storage under a US-backed Palestinian administration after Israel halts operations and withdraws [24]. Hamas and Islamic Jihad stated their militias will not hand over weapons while Israel does not cease attacks [27]. Hamas also said it remained committed to completing the second phase of the ceasefire and was awaiting a clear, official response from mediators [22]. A Dawn editorial characterized Hamas's agreement to surrender weapons to a technocratic body as a major concession challenging Israel to end its occupation [34].
Trump's Board of Peace, led by envoy Nickolay Mladenov, sought to bridge the gap by assuring Netanyahu that Israeli withdrawal would only begin after Hamas's complete disarmament [9][22][36]. The Board stated that "the withdrawal of the IDF beyond the Yellow Line will take place only once decommissioning is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators," applying to light weapons, heavy weapons, and tunnels alike [22][27]. Mladenov described the coming phase as slow, arduous, and technical work [27] and urged both sides to fulfill their obligations [23]. Trump called the disarmament announcement a "major milestone" and said Israel was "very happy" with the development [5][6].
Israeli far-right ministers rejected the agreement. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir dismissed it as "not acceptable" and demanded continued operations against Hamas [5][11]. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the text was "completely different" to the one presented to the security cabinet and demanded an immediate new vote [9][22]. Economy Minister Nir Barakat expressed deep skepticism about reaching an agreement and stated his conviction that Israeli attacks would continue [31].
Palestinian political analysts offered a distinct framing. Expert on Israeli affairs Mtanes Shehadeh said Israel seeks to "obstruct any actual, practical progress in the second phase of the agreement, without explicitly announcing its rejection of the roadmap," and that Netanyahu will continue procrastination until the October 27 elections because serious implementation would cause electoral damage [33]. Analyst Ahmed al-Hila said Netanyahu sees accepting the agreement as a political setback because it preserves the Palestinians' right to resist, prevents displacement, and opens the door to rebuilding Gaza [33]. Senior Palestinian figure Mohammad Dahlan accused Netanyahu of working "to obstruct the most promising opportunity to begin ending this war" [6][9].
Gaza's Civil Defence Authority reported Israeli strikes killed at least 13 people including children [5]; the daily toll subsequently reached 18 [13], with Turkish sources reporting over 30 civilians killed and Al Jazeera citing 26 over the weekend [26][33][35]. UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq reported over 150 fatalities in July and said an Israeli attack damaged a medical storage facility [20]. Dr. Munir al-Bursh, Director-General of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, said the destruction of a medical warehouse when the health system faces a 51% shortage in essential medicines is "a direct attack on one of the last remaining lifelines of healthcare" [46]. Resident Aya Mohammad Zaki said "it was as if the war has resumed, there was an attack every one hour or less" [24]. Abdallah al-Hou called for a "véritable cessez-le-feu" (real ceasefire), saying every hour of delay means more victims [37].
A Jerusalem District Court injunction froze Ben Gvir's proposal to build a crocodile-moat around Ketziot prison after a petition from an animal welfare organization [38][39][41]. Ben Gvir accused the judicial system of siding with terrorists and thwarting measures for Israeli deterrence [39][41]. Beirut-based policy expert Hussein Chokr said the plan reflects a view of Palestinians as "a human threat that must be subdued by any means necessary" [38]. CAGE International director Moazzam Begg said using crocodiles as a security apparatus "feels outright satirical" [38].
In the West Bank, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian stated that settler terrorism has become "le moteur de la colonisation" (the engine of colonization) and that impunity is now official policy [30]. An open letter from 600 former senior Israeli officials described settler attacks as terrorism [19]. Palestinian American residents of Turmus Ayya described settler violence and abandonment by the US government [10]. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee told settlers that "those who do not stand with you do not stand with God" [10], while a State Department spokesperson stated the US "does not support Israel annexing the West Bank" [10].
Analysis in Bangladesh's Prothom Alo argued that the Gaza war has permanently reshaped Western politics, citing UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's admission of past policy error and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's call for Netanyahu's arrest under an ICC warrant [15]. Trump vowed Netanyahu would not be arrested under any circumstances and his administration expressed intent to dismantle the ICC [15][32]. Chinese UN representative Sun Lei called for full ceasefire implementation and a two-state solution [47]. The African Union, Namibia, and Somalia welcomed the ceasefire and emphasized humanitarian reconstruction [50]. Russia's Foreign Ministry criticized UN Security Council Resolution 2803 as contradicting genuine peacekeeping [48]. Italian wire service ANSA cited polling showing 62% of Israelis doubt the "total victory" promised by Netanyahu will be achieved [21].
Mladenov held a meeting with Netanyahu that he described as difficult [16], though the talks were also characterized as constructive and detailed [28], pressing for a halt to Israeli strikes while clarifying the sequencing of withdrawal and disarmament [28]. Hamas stated it was awaiting a clear, official response from mediators before proceeding further [22], and the mediating states called on the international community to pressure Israel to comply with its ceasefire obligations [4].