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 fighters.
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 roadmap 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, President Donald Trump’s administration has told Congress it is sending more than $206 million for a proposed Gaza peacekeeping force, the first significant funding for the stalled US plan to rebuild the devastated enclave.
In two July 30-dated notifications seen by Reuters, the State Department informed Congress it will provide $200m for the International Stabilisation Force’s (ISF) equipment, infrastructure, vehicles and operational costs. An additional $6m would repurpose US armoured vehicles to support the force.
The notifications, which were addressed to key appropriations and foreign affairs committees in Congress, have not been previously reported.
The funding is the first concrete US spending on the peacekeeping force and signals the administration’s determination to press ahead with Trump’s Gaza roadmap even as both Israel and Hamas have balked at conditions needed to advance the plan.
“The ISF will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarisation, and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction material to Gaza,” one of the notifications said, while noting the final composition of the force was still being negotiated.
The administration has not said how much money will ultimately be needed to fund the force.
Trump set up a Board of Peace to oversee his ambitious plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza and rebuild the shattered territory.
His plan envisioned that the peacekeeping force would deploy to Gaza to secure areas after Israeli forces withdraw and would train new Palestinian police forces and support aid deliveries.
Much of Gaza remains in ruins from two years of war triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
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