Israel steps up Gaza attacks

Israel intensified attacks in Gaza in the five weeks after the April 8 halt to its joint bombing campaign with the United States in Iran, according to Reuters reporting and conflict data cited by ACLED. The renewed military pressure has landed as diplomatic efforts to stabilize Gaza remain stuck over whether Hamas will disarm, a condition that envoy Nickolay Mladenov said is not open to negotiation. Gaza health officials said at least 120 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes since the Iran truce, while Israeli officials said Hamas fighters were regrouping inside the enclave. The result is a ceasefire that has not collapsed outright but has not moved into reconstruction either. ### Why did Israeli attacks increase after the Iran truce? Reuters reported on May 13 that Israel redirected firepower back to Gaza after the Iran campaign paused, saying the military believed Hamas was tightening its grip and rearming inside the territory. ACLED data cited in that report showed attacks rose 35% overall in the five weeks after the Iran truce. (usnews.com) The Gaza Health Ministry said 120 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in that period, according to Reuters and other outlets carrying the dispatch. Israeli officials, in the same reporting, said the strikes were tied to what they described as renewed Hamas military activity. (usnews.com) ### What exactly is blocking the ceasefire from moving forward? Nickolay Mladenov, the diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire effort, said on May 13 that progress was stalled because Hamas had not disarmed. In remarks reported by the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, he said reconstruction of Gaza could not proceed while that issue remained unresolved. (usnews.com) Mladenov said Hamas was not being asked to vanish as a political movement, but he described disarmament as a requirement for the next phase. Al Jazeera reported him calling that point “not negotiable,” while AP-based reports said the deadlock had paralyzed rebuilding in the devastated enclave. ### What does Israel say Hamas is doing inside Gaza? (usnews.com) Israeli military officials told Reuters that Hamas fighters were tightening their grip in Gaza and rebuilding capacity after the Iran truce. That assessment has been used to explain the renewed pace of strikes in the enclave. The Reuters report did not present independent verification of the full Israeli assessment, and Hamas’ position in the cited coverage centered on resisting demands to disarm. (aljazeera.com) AP-based reporting said the dispute over weapons has become the central sticking point in the ceasefire process. ### Why is reconstruction still off the table? (usnews.com) Reconstruction funds and large-scale rebuilding have been tied to a more durable ceasefire arrangement, and Mladenov said that phase cannot begin until the weapons issue is addressed. His remarks linked the diplomatic impasse directly to conditions on the ground, where much of Gaza remains destroyed and aid and rebuilding plans remain constrained. (usnews.com) AP-based reports said Mladenov accused both sides of violating the ceasefire even as the agreement had so far prevented a return to full-scale war. That has left mediators trying to preserve a fragile truce without securing the political and security terms needed for reconstruction. ### What happens next in the talks? Jerusalem remained the center of diplomatic contacts on May 13, with Mladenov speaking publicly as the U.S.-brokered process continued. (aljazeera.com) No new reconstruction timetable was announced in the reporting reviewed, and no agreement on Hamas disarmament was reported. The next test is whether mediators can convert the current ceasefire into a broader arrangement that covers weapons, rebuilding and enforcement. (arabnews.com) For now, the reported facts are narrower: Israeli strikes have increased since April 8, Gaza casualties have mounted, and the envoy running the talks says reconstruction cannot start until the disarmament dispute is resolved. (usnews.com) (aljazeera.com)