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Israel objects to Türkiye, Qatar role in Gaza roadmap verification

Visitors gather ahead of the Board of Peace meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (AFP Photo)
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Visitors gather ahead of the Board of Peace meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (AFP Photo)
August 03, 2026 02:24 PM GMT+03:00

Israel has told the Board of Peace it objects to the involvement of mediators Türkiye and Qatar in verifying the stages of the emerging Gaza roadmap, and is demanding that Hamas's weapons be destroyed after confiscation rather than stored, two of three objections conveyed as unacceptable, sources told Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The third demand cuts deeper still.

A source told Haaretz that Israel wants the freedom to launch strikes within Gaza zones assigned to the temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF). The demand coincides with a wave of Israeli strikes that killed at least 18 Palestinians in one day, leading Türkiye to accuse the Netanyahu government of intentionally sabotaging peace negotiations.

Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Abu Latif house hit by an Israeli strike in the port area of Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine, on August 2, 2026. (AA Photo)
Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Abu Latif house hit by an Israeli strike in the port area of Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine, on August 2, 2026. (AA Photo)

3 objections: Verification roles, weapons fate, freedom to strike

Israel informed the Board of Peace on Thursday of three points it finds unacceptable, conveying its reservations to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who sits on the board's Gaza Executive Board, according to Haaretz.

First, Israel wants to rule out the involvement of Qatar and Türkiye in the roadmap's verification process, the International Verification Committee (IVC) that will certify each side's compliance before phases advance, and which is expected to include representatives from mediator countries.

Both Türkiye and Qatar are founding members of the Board of Peace and were credited by U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside Egypt, with brokering the disarmament breakthrough.

Second, Israel insists that weapons collected from Hamas be destroyed. Under the roadmap, which the Board says Hamas approved, arms would be rounded up but remain with the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), with no transfer to Israel or any non-Palestinian party.

Israel says the document leaves the weapons' ultimate fate unclear.

Third, Israel demands the right to strike areas due to be handed to the ISF, which, under the roadmap, would deploy to separate Israeli forces from NCAG-controlled zones.

A Board official told Haaretz that no date has been set for the roadmap to take effect, with a 14-day period expected at the start for Israel and Hamas to set an implementation timeline.

The Board said on X that Israel must "fully complete, without delay, all remaining commitments" under the October ceasefire, chief among them ceasing its regular attacks across Gaza to allow Hamas' gradual disarmament.

Deadliest day in weeks in Gaza

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 Palestinians on Sunday, including three children and an unborn baby, hitting homes, a displacement tent, a motorcycle and a vehicle across Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the biggest daily toll in weeks.

Among the dead were entire families: a couple and their 9-year-old son in Mawasi, and a family of four including a 5-year-old and an unborn child in Gaza City's Al-Sousi Tower, medics said.

The Israeli military said strikes targeted two commanders of Hamas' elite Nukhba force and other "military operatives."

Gaza's Health Ministry said July was the deadliest month of Israeli strikes this year, with 152 killed, and that at least 1,250 Palestinians have been killed since the Oct. 10, 2025 ceasefire, against four Israeli soldiers killed over the same period, per Israeli tallies.

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, a security cabinet member, said there was no deal to halt attacks and voiced skepticism Hamas would disarm, arguing Israel, which controls most of the enclave, should take full control if it does not.

"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 told Army Radio.

Netanyahu's office said its core concern is that "nothing can happen before Hamas completely and truly disarms."

That position collides with Washington's framing.

Trump said Friday that Israel was "very happy" with the agreement and "helped us," while a U.S. official had warned Trump would be "very, very disappointed" if Israel fails to adhere to the plan it initially agreed.

Displaced Palestinians look down into a huge crater following an Israeli airstrike that targeted the nearby medical supplies and pharmaceuticals warehouse of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Aug. 1, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Displaced Palestinians look down into a huge crater following an Israeli airstrike that targeted the nearby medical supplies and pharmaceuticals warehouse of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Aug. 1, 2026. (AFP Photo)

Türkiye: Netanyahu 'deliberately sabotaging' peace

Türkiye's Foreign Ministry said the attacks prove Netanyahu's government "has no intention of making peace," accusing him of seeking to displace Palestinians and sabotage U.S.-led mediation, and urging a "more determined, consistent and robust stance" against his "expansionist and militarist approach."

Türkiye's Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said the strikes on civilians and health infrastructure "are deliberately sabotaging all efforts toward peace."

Hamas accused Israel of escalating to derail the understandings, calling the bombardment "a deliberate escalation by the government of war criminal Netanyahu" and urging mediators and guarantors to pressure Israel immediately.

Senior official Basem Naim said the escalation "coinciding with progress on the political track" shows Israel seeks to "impose facts on the ground by force."

Hamas has shown "considerable flexibility," he said, but maintains Israel must halt attacks and pull back before weapons pass to the NCAG.

The Board of Peace's Gaza envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, said he was working with all parties to "de-escalate and create the space for the full implementation of the President's plan," adding: "Achieving a lasting peace is hard but achievable if everyone makes their best efforts."

August 03, 2026 02:25 PM GMT+03:00
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