US President Donald Trump's announcement that a 'historic' deal had been reached to disarm Hamas in Gaza did not end the violence in the region. Following Trump's statement on July 30, Israel intensified its attacks on Gaza and killed dozens of Palestinians by the end of the week.
The deal, negotiated through the Peace Council established by Trump, immediately sparked disagreement between the parties. Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad said they would not implement the deal unless Israeli attacks stopped and troops withdrew. A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israeli forces would not withdraw until Hamas was fully disarmed.
Deadly attacks continue in Gaza
As the dispute continued, Israel's attacks on Gaza intensified in the days after the 'historic deal' announcement. At least 19 Palestinians were killed in a single day of strikes, and the death toll reached 26 by the weekend.
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."
Sunday's strikes hit families in their homes. An attack on the al-Susi 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 recovered the remains of an unborn baby from the rubble.
In al-Karara 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, 68-year-old Kamal and 59-year-old Huda Abu Muailiq were killed when their home was hit.
That same evening, a strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in Gaza City's Remal neighborhood killed two people, including a child. A drone strike on a vehicle near the Sharia Court killed four more. Israel claimed the strike targeted military operatives.
On Saturday night, a strike on the medicine warehouse of Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah completely destroyed two of the four storage facilities. The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas weapons depot adjacent to the hospital. Gaza Health Ministry Director-General Munir al-Bursh said the attack "turned medicine and illness into a tool of war."
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that July was the deadliest month in Gaza since the start of the year, with 152 people killed. Since the 'ceasefire' in October 2025, the total death toll has risen to 1,250, with over 4,100 wounded.
On August 1, Gaza Civil Defense completed a two-week search of a destroyed home in the Sabra neighborhood, recovering 112 bodies, including 40 children, from the rubble. According to rescue worker Mohammed Abu Dan, 157 people are still missing. Abu Dan said some were fused to the concrete by the force of the blast.
Settler violence escalates 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.
OCHA has recorded more than 1,380 settler-related incidents in the West Bank since the start of 2026, an average of 6.6 per day. Demolitions and settler violence have displaced an average of 17 people per day this year, double the rate of the previous three years.
According to a report by the Palestinian National Bureau for Land Defense and Resistance to Colonialism, 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 have been closed without indictment.
A week earlier, after four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed in Tal in the Nablus area, settlers marched through the village accompanied by Israeli soldiers and armored vehicles. In the same wave of settler rampages, a 10-year-old boy was shot in the back near al-Mughayyir on July 31. According to Haaretz, Israeli police arrested a settler, an off-duty soldier, on suspicion of shooting the child.
Days later, settlers attacked 71-year-old Issam Radwan and his 65-year-old wife Nahil with clubs in their fields near Beitillu. The village council head said Nahil suffered a skull fracture, bite wound, and broken arm, while Issam had a broken shinbone.
As attacks and raids continued across the West Bank, settlers established new illegal outposts. The town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, and its roughly 8,000 residents entered their third week under closure.
Land grabs kept pace with the violence. According to the WAFA news agency, Israeli authorities issued a seizure order for about 200 dunams (0.2 square kilometers) of land in the Jenin governorate. In the northern West Bank, the Israeli military issued a land seizure order in Area A, which is under Palestinian Authority control, to connect two new illegal settlement units.
In Masafer Yatta, an Israeli court rejected appeals against the demolition of the Zif Girls' Secondary School, which serves 251 students, and three homes in Khirbet al-Mafkara; according to WAFA and local activist Osama Makhamreh, both structures could be demolished at any moment.
International criticism also mounted. Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian 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.
