US envoy Jared Kushner held a direct meeting with Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt to press for tangible disarmament steps under the US-backed 15-point Gaza roadmap, as Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people in the deadliest day since the June ceasefire framework [6][7][10]. Kushner's meeting with Hamas leaders, accompanied by Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov and sessions with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, aimed to advance the disarmament roadmap before Kushner's scheduled talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [6][8][20][30][32].
Kushner stressed that Hamas must relinquish governing authority and all weapons, warning that Israel does not trust the group to follow through, while Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to disarm and hand governance to a technocratic authority [6][11]. Hamas called on mediators and the Board of Peace to "compel" Israel to implement all phase-one obligations, end violations, stop killings and incursions, and approve the roadmap for phase two [8][24][32]. Kushner rejected Hamas's proposal to store weapons within Gaza, insisting the weapons must leave the enclave, and ruled out Hamas participation in a future Gaza government [20][30].
Netanyahu formally rejected the Board of Peace's 15-point document, stating: "Israel rejects the Board of Peace's 15-point document on Gaza. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed" [27][28][42]. Israeli defence officials stated forces would remain in "security zones" in Gaza with no timetable for withdrawal [11]. Analyst Khaled Elgindy of the Quincy Institute stated that Netanyahu's rejection is tied to upcoming October elections, as any sign of compromise would be used against him by extremists in his coalition [20].
The Israeli military framed the Lebanon strikes as targeted counterterrorism, stating it killed Hezbollah Radwan Force commander Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan and a second senior commander, Abu Hasan Alaa, describing the bombed building in Ansar as a military headquarters [7][14][17][34]. The IDF stated the strike was "specifically directed at Hassan, who was a lawful target under international law, not at his family members who he used as human shields" [7][34]. Netanyahu stated that "only later did the IDF learn that Hezbollah deliberately put civilians in that military compound" [14][18].
Lebanese officials rejected the human shields characterization. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated: "The seven martyrs of the Israeli airstrike on the town of Ansar are not military infrastructure and the children and women killed were not military targets" [10][14][15]. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri denounced what he called a "guerre d'extermination" (war of extermination) in southern Lebanon [36]. Hezbollah dismissed Netanyahu's claims as false, stating Lebanese civilians were deliberately targeted in their homes [7]. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported seven killed in Ansar including three children and two women, and four killed in Deir al-Zahrani [10][12].
Iran's Foreign Ministry called the strikes "حملاتی جنایتکارانه" (criminal attacks) designed and executed with full US complicity [38]. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes as violations of the ceasefire framework and a "clear message" aimed at the negotiation track and US efforts [14][36].
Israeli government spokesperson Doron Spielman stated the strikes would "tighten up" negotiations, making them "more serious and more real" by highlighting the reason for entering negotiations [14][18]. Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened further attacks, stating: "No account in any arena will remain open. We will strike with full force at those who harm our soldiers and our citizens" [1][19][36]. Katz also stated Israel would not withdraw from areas under its control until Hezbollah is disarmed [3][14].
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem accused Lebanese authorities of subjecting the army to "ongoing humiliation" by implementing the deal, asking: "How can you accept this ongoing humiliation of the Lebanese army, exposing it to bombardment and Israeli pressures, instead of acting as its protectors?" [15]. Hezbollah called on the Lebanese government to abandon "humiliating direct negotiations" with Israel [10][36][43]. Randa Slim, Middle East Program Director at the Stimson Center, stated that Lebanon has "locked themselves into these negotiations" and that "the cost of walking away from these negotiations is going to be much higher for the Lebanese than it is going to be for the Israelis" [2].
A US State Department official stated that a permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon is "not consistent with commitments set out in the deal," while other US statements placed responsibility for continued Israeli presence on Hezbollah [14][18][2]. Eight foreign ministers from Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection of the roadmap, stating it "confirms that Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza" [5][8][29][32]. The ministers called for sustained US engagement and reaffirmed support for a two-state solution on 1967 lines [5][39].
Netanyahu's Likud party dismissed the Arab condemnation, claiming Arab states want to topple Netanyahu so that centrist challengers will give them everything they want [9][32]. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir broke with Netanyahu's rejection stance to advocate nightly targeted assassinations, stating: "30 to 40 people should be taken down every night" [27]. Separately, Katz ordered a plan to transfer law enforcement authority over Jewish settlers in the West Bank from the military to police under Ben-Gvir, which Turkish reporting described as a step toward de facto annexation [16].
Human Rights Watch urged the UN to keep an international force in Lebanon as a deterrent against attacks on civilians, while India's foreign ministry expressed concern over civilian casualties and the safety of its 600 UNIFIL troops [15][44]. Italian and French leaders proposed an international coalition, potentially involving Gulf partners, to fill the security vacuum expected after UNIFIL's mandate ends [45]. Palestinian human rights reporting and displaced residents' testimony highlighted conditions in Gaza's tent camps, with displaced resident Mohammed Abu 'Odah stating: "This is no longer a tent, but merely a piece of cloth that barely shelters us" [46].
A further round of peace talks is planned for early September in Rome [12]. Kushner was scheduled to meet Netanyahu following his Egypt meetings [29][32].