Peace Council Lets Israel Shrink Hamas-Held Gaza Areas

Israel Hayom reported late July 4 that the U.S.-led Peace Council accepts an unstated Israeli policy in Gaza while Hamas refuses to disarm: targeted eliminations of Hamas rebuilders and October 7 terrorists, plus reducing the territory still under Hamas control beyond the war-ending agreement's baseline. The report says Nickolay Mladenov and the council still view Hamas disarmament as the gate to reconstruction and civilian transition. It adds that a Rafah-area pilot will train vetted Palestinian police with tasers only, with an ISF ring and an IDF outer perimeter blocking Hamas infiltration. Israel should keep civilian relief tied to enforceable demilitarization, not to Hamas delays.