Gaza: Hamas disarmament pledge falters amid Israeli doubts and mass funerals for 2023 victims

Hamas announced on Friday that it accepted a complete disarmament plan presented in former President Donald Trump's peace proposal, marking the first public commitment of this kind by the militant group. European Council on Foreign Relations analysts noted the move could be a strategic shift, but Israel expressed reservations, saying the publicly released version does not reflect its position and it remains reluctant to proceed.

On 4 August 2026, collective funerals were held in Gaza for 112 Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023. The bodies, recovered after nearly three years under rubble, were buried amid grieving families. Gaza’s civil‑defense director, Tayseer Aldahshah, warned that thousands of other victims remain buried and called for coordinated efforts to retrieve them.