Gaza mediators say Israeli strikes undermine truce efforts
Hamas has demanded that Israel adhere to the ceasefire and withdraw its forces from Gaza
Published: 04:08 PM,Aug 20,2026 | EDITED : 08:08 PM,Aug 20,2026
Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar, which have been trying to mediate an end to the Gaza conflict, condemned recent Israeli strikes in the Palestinian enclave, urging Israel to meet its ceasefire obligations and avoid steps that could escalate tension.
Their joint statement followed Israeli strikes that have killed at least 16 Palestinians in Gaza since Tuesday, according to medics; Israel says it is targeting Hamas activists. US envoy Jared Kushner wrapped up a regional visit on Monday without advancing President Donald Trump's plan to end the war.
'The intensification of Israeli attacks undermines regional and international efforts at a critical juncture, as intensive efforts are under way to implement the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,' they said.
The international community and Trump's Board of Peace, which is overseeing the ceasefire, must take the necessary steps to ensure compliance and prevent further escalation, they added.
A proposed road map envisaged Hamas giving up its weapons in phases as Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza and halted military operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected that sequencing, insisting that Hamas must fully disarm before an Israeli withdrawal.
Hamas has demanded that Israel adhere to the ceasefire and withdraw its forces from Gaza. Hamas has also disputed the sequencing of how Trump's plan should be implemented.
At least 1,283 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect last October, according to Gazan health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed.
Meanwhile, Israelis began moving into the occupied West Bank settlement of Kadim on Thursday, the local settler council said, the last of four communities from which Israel withdrew more than two decades ago to be repopulated.
It came a week after Israel officially reopened neighbouring Ganim, in a move emblematic of the current government's policy of rapid settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Samaria regional council, which administers Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank, described the return to Kadim as a 'historic milestone'.
'At this very moment, the families of the pioneering settler core are moving into Kadim, a community that was uprooted during the disengagement,' it said in a statement. — Reuters