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

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the second consecutive day of strikes, Palestinian medics and health officials said. The deaths came even as U.S.-led efforts to implement a ceasefire and disarmament agreement continued. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said no deal exists to stop the attacks.

Why is Israel still striking Gaza despite the ceasefire deal?

Israel says Hamas has not disarmed as required under the ceasefire framework announced by President Donald Trump. Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Israel already controls 70% of Gaza and may take full control if Hamas refuses to give up its weapons.

The strikes hit Gaza City in the north, Deir al-Balah in the center, and the Khan Younis area in the south, officials said. Health officials described Sunday's toll as the highest single-day death count in weeks. The attacks followed Trump's announcement Thursday that Hamas and other armed groups had agreed to disarm.

What did Israel's energy minister say about a ceasefire?

Speaking to Israel's Army Radio, Cohen said there was no agreement to halt Israeli attacks in Gaza. He said Hamas must be dismantled first under the terms Israel signed with the United States. A spokesperson for Netanyahu's office, Doron Spielman, told Reuters that Israel had raised concerns with Washington over the disarmament plan, adding that nothing can happen before Hamas fully disarms.

Where did Sunday's deadliest strikes take place?

Strikes on Deir al-Balah killed at least four people, Palestinian health officials said. A separate attack wounded five people and set tents on fire in Mawasi, near Khan Younis, according to Gaza's civil emergency service. A couple and their nine-year-old son were killed in a strike on a house in Mawasi.

In Gaza City, medics said another couple and their child died in a strike on an apartment. Two people were killed in a strike on a tent near the office of Egypt's representative mission, and two more died later in the eastern Zeitoun neighborhood. One additional death was reported near Jabalia in northern Gaza.

What does Israel say the strikes targeted?

The Israeli military said a strike on an apartment in Deir al-Balah targeted two commanders from Hamas' elite Nukhba force. It said strikes in Gaza City and Jabalia also targeted what it described as military operatives, and it was reviewing the circumstances of those attacks. Medics separately reported that a strike on a car near Saraya Square in Gaza City killed at least three Palestinians.

What is the Board of Peace roadmap for Gaza?

The U.S.-led Board of Peace, which oversees the ceasefire process, published a 15-point roadmap Friday outlining final steps for implementation. Nickolay Mladenov, the board's lead envoy for Gaza, said the strikes occurred despite efforts by mediators to secure Palestinian factions' support for the plan. He said on X that achieving lasting peace is hard but achievable if all sides make their best efforts.

How many people have died in Gaza since the ceasefire began?

Gaza health authorities said at least 1,230 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire was reached in October. Hamas does not publish figures on its own combatant casualties. Israeli figures show four Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period.

How has Hamas responded to Israel's demands?

Hamas has said Israel must stop attacks and withdraw forces under the ceasefire terms before it will hand over weapons to a new Palestinian governing body. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said the group had shown considerable flexibility but accused Israel of escalating military operations to undermine the process. Former Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan said in a Facebook post that Jared Kushner told him he was working with Israeli officials to stop attacks on Gaza, adding that U.S. contacts were continuing to secure full implementation of the agreement.