Israel weighs resuming Gaza war as Hamas disarmament talks stall

Israel is considering renewing its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as efforts to secure the group’s disarmament appear to have stalled, officials indicated following a security cabinet meeting on Sunday.

The situation in the Gaza Strip was at the top of the agenda during the weekly meeting, with serious plans being made to resume fighting in order to forcibly disarm Hamas and take control of the remaining parts of the Strip.

“Hamas is not standing by the agreement on disarmament. We are holding discussions with mediators,” an Israeli official told the Kan public broadcaster on Saturday evening.

This would be a devastating setback for the Trump Administration’s plan, which called for Hamas to voluntarily disarm, followed by an IDF withdrawal and reconstruction in the Strip. However, the six-month-old ceasefire has featured low-intensity violence, with almost daily probing attacks by Hamas fighters along the so-called “Yellow Line,” as well as reports of internal repression of the Palestinian population in areas under direct Hamas control.

Little progress has been made toward the initial goal of Hamas disarmament. In recent weeks, several firm statements by Hamas officials have made clear that they have no intention of handing over even their heavy weapons like rockets and mortars, much less their small arms.

The so-called “Board of Peace,” established by the Trump Administration last October, is headed by Nickolay Mladenov, a former Minister of State for Bulgaria and a member of the European Parliament. He has held several meetings with Hamas officials in recent months in an effort to convince them to disarm, but these efforts have not produced the desired result.

According to reports, the plan he has been working on would involve an eight-month process during which Hamas would begin by submitting maps of its tunnel networks, as well as handing over its remaining heavy weaponry within 90 days of the April 11 deadline. That would be followed by a gradual handover of its small arms.

However, Hamas has tried to turn the issue around, submitting a counter-proposal that discussions about its disarmament be part of a larger process geared toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Hamas has also complained about what it describes as Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, including airstrikes carried out on Hamas targets in the western half of the Strip that it controls, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid into these areas at levels lower than what it believes it deserves.

Arab diplomats familiar with the situation told The Times of Israel this week that they do not believe the situation will be sorted out while the world’s attention is focused on tensions with Iran. They also assessed that there is a low probability that pressure will be put on Israel to withdraw from the eastern half of the Strip in the near future.

One diplomat added that the status quo in Gaza is likely to remain in place for a long time, and that the longer it endures, the more difficult it will be to force either Hamas or Israel to change course.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has claimed that over 800 people have been killed in the Strip since the ceasefire began in October 2025. The IDF says it has lost five soldiers during that time period, while several others have been wounded.