Israel eyes return to Gaza war within months, Channel 12 reports
Israel believes fighting in Gaza could resume within the next two months, potentially before October's elections, according to a report by Israel's Channel 12.
The broadcaster, citing Israeli officials, said on Saturday that Israel expects the US-led "Board of Peace" to conclude within the next two to three months that Hamas has violated the agreement by refusing to disarm.
Such a ruling could pave the way for Israel to renew raids in parts of Gaza outside their current control, raising the prospect of renewed fighting, the report said.
Channel 12 also quoted a political source as saying the board's director-general, Nikolay Mladenov, had considered declaring Hamas in breach of the agreement two months ago but postponed the move at the request of mediators.
"If nothing changes within three months, Mladenov will declare Hamas in breach of the agreement," the source said.
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The Board of Peace, chaired by US President Donald Trump, was established in January under a US initiative aimed at securing a settlement in Gaza.
It followed the ceasefire agreement reached in October, which was intended to end the two-year genocide in Gaza, during which Israel killed nearly 72,000 Palestinians, devastated much of the territory and fuelled one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has repeatedly violated the agreement, killing more than 1,000 Palestinians since then, expanding the so-called buffer zone and maintaining tight restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Hamas has refused to discuss disarmament until Israel fulfils its obligations under the first phase of the agreement.
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