Israeli strikes kill 18 in Gaza as minister says no deal reached to halt attacks

Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza for a second consecutive day on Sunday, killing at least 18 Palestinians, medics said, despite US President Donald Trump's announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year's ceasefire agreement.

From dawn, Israeli warplanes struck Gaza City in the north, Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis in the south, causing the highest daily death toll in weeks, according to Palestinian health officials.

Trump said on Thursday that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups had agreed to disarm, raising hopes of a breakthrough in efforts to end the conflict.

However, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, said on Sunday that while Israel would give Hamas the opportunity to disarm, he remained "very sceptical" that it would do so.

Speaking to Israel Army Radio, Cohen said there was no agreement to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza and argued that Israel, which already controls about 70% of the enclave, would need to take full control if Hamas refused to disarm.

"In the deal we signed with the United States, our stance is that Hamas must be dismantled. This is the first thing that must happen," he said.

Later on Sunday, Netanyahu's office said Israel had conveyed serious concerns to Washington over the proposed disarmament plan.

"The most important concern for Israel is that nothing can happen before Hamas completely and truly disarms," Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Netanyahu's office, told Reuters.

Strikes hit tents, homes and apartment

Israeli strikes on Deir al-Balah killed at least four people, Palestinian health officials said. A separate attack wounded five people and set several tents ablaze in the Mawasi area near Khan Younis, according to Gaza's civil emergency service.

A couple and their nine-year-old son were killed when an Israeli strike hit a house in Mawasi, Palestinian officials said.

Another couple and their child were killed in a strike on an apartment in Gaza City. Two more people died after a tent near the Egyptian representative mission was hit, medics said. Later on Sunday, two more people were killed in the eastern Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Near Jabalia in northern Gaza, one person was killed in another Israeli strike, Palestinian officials said.

The Israeli military said a strike on an apartment in Deir al-Balah targeted two commanders from Hamas' elite Nukhba force.

It said the strikes in Gaza City and Jabalia had targeted "military operatives", adding that it was still reviewing the outcome of those operations.

In a later attack, medics said an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle near Saraya Square in Gaza City killed at least three Palestinians.

Ceasefire roadmap

Trump's Board of Peace, the US-led body overseeing the ceasefire, published a 15-point roadmap on Friday outlining the final steps for implementing the agreement.

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's lead envoy for Gaza, said the latest Israeli strikes came despite ongoing efforts by the board and mediators to persuade Palestinian factions to endorse the roadmap.

Writing on X, Mladenov said he was working with all parties, mediators and regional partners to "de-escalate and create the space for the full implementation of the President's plan".

"Achieving a lasting peace is hard but achievable if everyone makes their best efforts," he said.

According to Gaza health authorities, at least 1,230 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire was reached in October. Hamas has not disclosed the number of its fighters killed during that period.

Israeli figures show that four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.

Hamas accuses Israel of undermining talks

Hamas has said it will only hand over its weapons to a new Palestinian body designated to govern Gaza after Israel halts its military operations and withdraws its forces in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Sunday that the group had shown "considerable flexibility" in negotiations but accused Israel of trying to undermine diplomatic efforts by intensifying its attacks.

"This escalation, coinciding with progress on the political track, clearly demonstrates that the occupation government is seeking to undermine efforts aimed at ending the war and to impose facts on the ground by force," Naim said in a statement.

Former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, who is based in the United Arab Emirates, said in a Facebook post that Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior adviser involved in the US initiative, had told him he was working with the Israeli side to stop the attacks on Gaza.

Dahlan said contacts with the United States were continuing to ensure full implementation of the agreement, adding that its success now depended on Israel ending its daily military operations in Gaza.

Reuters has sought comment from the US State Department on Dahlan's remarks. There was no immediate response from Israel.