Symbolic imageIsrael holds off as Hamas presses for Gaza phase two
Hamas said on Saturday it is ready for phase two of the US-backed Gaza plan and urged Washington to press Israel, which has not signed the roadmap.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday, 9 August, that Israel has neither signed nor formally approved the Board of Peace's 15-point roadmap, which ties Hamas disarmament to a further Israeli withdrawal. A Hamas official told Agence France-Presse the factions had confirmed their readiness to mediators, provided Israel agrees and starts implementing the accord. According to Le Monde, Netanyahu rejected the plan on Wednesday while campaigning before October elections.
Cabinet objections and a Shin Bet warning
Shin Bet director David Zini told ministers Hamas wants to buy time and 'trap Israel', calling the roadmap a 'diplomatic October 7'. Ministers oppose the 14-day preparatory period because it would curb strikes; the Post reported that targeted killings have recently stopped and that Israel approved the entry of about 200 multinational force members under US pressure.
Nineteen bodies from a Gaza City block
Gaza's civil defence said crews ended four days of manual searching at the 'Karam' building in western Gaza City on Saturday, recovering 19 bodies, most of them women and children. The health ministry says more than 8,000 people remain missing under rubble; it counts 1,254 to 1,257 killed since the October ceasefire.
Other opinions
Tehran Times calls the plan's revival proof of US bias and blames Israel for breaking the truce; the Jerusalem Post centres Israeli fears of a Hamas trap, while Al Jazeera omits the cabinet dispute.