Israeli fighter jets bombed Hamas targets in the Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah areas of Gaza, the Israeli military (known as the IDF) stated. At the same time, the United States pushed forward with a plan to stop the fighting, a plan that has revealed serious disagreements between Washington and Jerusalem.

The strikes killed at least four people in Gaza, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, President Trump announced what he called a "major milestone" toward a peace plan agreed to in October. Under that plan, Hamas — the armed group that controls Gaza — would give up its weapons.

A ceasefire is an agreement to stop fighting. Disarmament means giving up weapons. Both ideas are central to the U.S. plan.

But the timing tells a troubling story. Trump said talks had reached a "historic" deal for Hamas to disarm. Yet on the ground, Israeli strikes continued, and an Israeli minister said there was no deal to stop them. A spokesperson for Netanyahu's office told Reuters that Israel had raised concerns with the U.S. about the disarmament plan, meaning the Israeli government does not fully support a key part of the American proposal.

Israeli doubt became public on Sunday. Energy Minister Eli Cohen questioned the disarmament plan on Israel's Army Radio, according to Time. He joined other officials who wonder whether the U.S. plan meets Israel's security needs. A spokesperson for Netanyahu's office had already told Reuters that Israel brought its concerns directly to the United States.

The IDF's own description of the strikes connects them to a wider escalation. In February, the military said it had started striking Hamas targets across Gaza, calling it a response to a "blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement." In other words, Israel sees the current bombing as picking up where a previous campaign left off, not starting something new. The IDF also says it warns civilians before strikes using phone calls, text messages, leaflets, and roof knocking — firing a small projectile at a building's roof as a final warning to leave. Still, the recent death toll shows how hard it is to avoid civilian harm in crowded areas.

Al Jazeera reported that Israel escalated its attacks and made tough demands, putting the U.S.-backed peace plan at risk. This reporting from regional media tells a very different story than the Trump administration's talk of progress. The same events are being read in opposite ways.

The broader context here is a delicate diplomatic process under pressure from several sides at once. Trump's October peace plan, now said to be reaching a milestone, hinges on Hamas giving up its weapons. If Hamas actually agrees to disarm, it would be a dramatic change for a group that has always refused to do so. But that word "if" is doing a lot of work. Disarmament has been a red line for Hamas in past negotiations, and no one has explained publicly how it would be verified, in what order steps would happen, or what security guarantees would be offered. Israeli officials are not saying disarmament is a bad idea. They are asking whether this specific plan can make it happen without leaving Israel vulnerable.

There is also a built-in tension between the U.S. and Israel that this situation makes clear. Washington wants a diplomatic deal on its own timeline. Jerusalem controls what happens on the ground — when to strike, where, and how hard. Imagine two people sharing a steering wheel, one aiming for a negotiated destination and the other keeping a foot on the gas. The strikes in Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah are not a distraction from the peace plan. They are a real-world test of whether military actions and diplomatic promises can line up. So far, they point in opposite directions. Trump describes a breakthrough. Israeli officials describe a process that has not yet produced a ceasefire, does not earn their trust, and may fall apart when it meets the reality on the ground.

For anyone following this conflict, the key question is not whether a deal exists on paper. It is whether the three parties who could make it work or wreck it — Israel, Hamas, and the United States — are moving together or pulling apart. Right now, the signs say pulling apart. Israel is escalating strikes, raising concerns about the plan, and voicing doubt through government ministers. The United States is declaring progress. And civilians in Gaza are caught in between — with a peace process that has not stopped the bombs and a military campaign with no clear end.