US-Backed Panel Says Israel Not Bound to Gaza Truce if Hamas Won't Disarm

Overview

• The Board of Peace told Gaza's technocratic leadership that Israel would not be obligated to keep the October 2025 ceasefire if Hamas refuses to disarm, according to a letter obtained by the Times of Israel.
• Mediators are pushing a proposal that requires all armed groups in Gaza to hand over their weapons within 90 days, which Hamas has rejected.
• Hamas says it will only discuss disarmament after phase-one steps are met, citing aid deliveries stuck near 200 trucks a day versus the 600 pledged, the closed Rafah crossing, and Israeli forces not pulled back to the agreed Yellow Line.
• Israel's military has prepared contingency plans for renewed fighting and expanded the area it controls inside Gaza to roughly 50–60 percent, according to Israeli media reports.
• The impasse has stalled reconstruction and further withdrawals and raises the risk of a return to large-scale combat, with Israeli sources alleging Hamas is rebuilding and Palestinian officials accusing Israel of ongoing ceasefire breaches.