"Hamas began distributing individual weapons to the terrorist group’s operatives in the Gaza Strip amid the Board of Peace’s (BoP) Hamas disarmament deal, Kan News reported on Saturday, citing a Palestinian source.
The goal of the rifle distribution is to ensure that weapons stay in the hands of Hamas members under the guise of personal ownership.
“Hamas will not disarm. Period,” the Palestinian source asserted.
However, the BoP has maintained that the terror organization is committed to honoring the disarmament deal, regardless of media statements made by Hamas officials to the contrary.
Other sources have claimed that Hamas confirmed its participation in the agreement to other Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, along with the US.
Israel has criticized the agreement, especially the finer details that US President Donald Trump said will be rolled out in phases.
Though the deal requires IDF withdrawal from Gaza so the International Stabilization Force (ISF) can begin reconstructing in cooperation with new civil forces, Israel has said that it all hinges on disarming Hamas as a pre-condition.
Under the 15-point document to be set in motion in the next few days, Hamas will need to halt all military activity in a two-week window. Only after that can disarmament begin, the BoP plan said.
Concurrently, Israel will be held to the ceasefire guidelines agreed upon in October 2025."
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-904298
"US President Donald Trump called for an immediate deal with Iran in a Truth Social post on Saturday night, claiming to have called off a massive attack against the country and to have Israel's support in his commitment.
"The USA is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II," Trump claimed.
"Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to."
Trump announced that the deal would have to include the complete opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat.
"Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL," Trump wrote.
Earlier on Saturday, two Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post that Israel had raised the alert and readiness amid assessments that Trump was close to deciding to resume military strikes against Iran, potentially on an even larger scale.
Israeli officials told the Post that “we are on high alert and awaiting the president’s final decision.”
Axios also reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had asked Trump to reconsider potential large military strikes on Iran during a phone call on Saturday."
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-904286
"The disarmament plan announced by the Board of Peace and approved by Hamas "will not be implemented," a Palestinian source in Gaza affiliated with Israeli-backed militias told The Jerusalem Post.
For Hamas, handing over its weapons would be a suicidal step. "If there are no weapons, there is no Hamas," the source told the Post over the weekend.
According to him, those in Gaza who have suffered under Hamas oppression are waiting for a chance to take revenge, which is one reason why Hamas believes it must keep its weapons. "Families, clans, and even ordinary people who were targeted by Hamas are waiting to settle scores with the organization, no matter how long it takes," he said. "People who were tortured, abused, or whose relatives were killed by Hamas will never forgive and never forget. Today, they cannot fight Hamas because the organization is armed. But even if it takes five or 10 years, people will seek to hold Hamas members accountable," he continued. "Hamas is aware of this threat, and that's why they need their weapons to protect themselves and cannot afford to disarm."
Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's Political Bureau, told Arab media outlets that the organization agreed to store weapons with the Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the transitional body tasked with managing post-war Gaza under the mandate of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace. Hamad, who has been part of Hamas's negotiating delegation in Cairo, said that the agreement is a comprehensive package, not limited to weapons, and stressed that Hamas will fulfill its obligations only if Israel meets its commitments, pointing to Israeli withdrawal. "The issue of collecting weapons is a Palestinian matter. Israel will have no role in it," he stressed.
Hamad claimed that the agreed formula was intended to "save the people of Gaza from more destruction, war, and displacement."
The agreement stipulates that heavy weapons, including manufacturing sites, tunnels, and warehouses, will be collected and stored by the NCAG. At the same time, individual arms will be regulated under Palestinian law and regulations.
The militia-affiliated Gaza source dismissed Hamas's apparent acceptance of the deal as "empty talk", arguing that the terror group is simply trying to buy time and ensure its own survival. "The agreement is meaningless; it will not happen," he claimed. "They have almost no heavy weapons left."
"Hamas cares only about Hamas," he continued. They will not comply with the demand for full disarmament because they want to stay in power. For Hamas, not having weapons means risking its existence. They know that the moment they lose their grip, they will not be able to return to power," he added.
However, some Palestinians expressed cautious optimism, suggesting the agreement may be a good sign that could move post-war Gaza arrangements in the right direction and help break the current stalemate.
"Hamas realizes now that there is no hope for it to remain in power in Gaza," one Palestinian resident from Gaza City told the Post.
"At least at this stage, I think Hamas is serious about storing the weapons," he said.
"But it will not be easy for Hamas to relinquish its ideology and it may eventually try to regain control," he added. "This depends on to what extent the other partners, the technocratic committee, and the players entering Gaza can restrain Hamas and prevent it from reclaiming authority." A key demand from Hamas, stipulated in article 10 of the plan, calls for the dissolution of armed groups in Gaza, referring to Israeli-backed militias set up in the strip to combat the terror organization.
"Weapons of the militias shall be decommissioned and stored under NCAG authority according to an agreed-upon timetable. Members of those militias shall not be integrated in the security and police services," the agreement read.
"We came to fight Hamas," the Gaza militia-affiliated figure said. "Our problem is with Hamas, not with anyone else. If it truly gives up its weapons, stops ruling Gaza, and there is real change, then maybe we can be part of the arrangements of the new deal. But as long as Hamas remains, even with only rifles, we will continue to fight it. What matters is what happens on the ground," he asserted.
The Gaza resident argued that dissolving the Israeli-backed militias, as required by the agreement, sends a troubling message to anyone considering future cooperation with Israeli security agencies.
"If these groups are disbanded now, it will be difficult for the Israelis to find people willing to work with them," he claimed, in comments to the Post. "Those who worked with Israel or supported it would now be exposed to reprisals by Hamas because they are seen as traitors. Also, in the eyes of the people, they are unwelcome."
From the very beginning, he said, these armed groups have had no respect among the Palestinian public. "People in Gaza do not see them as legitimate, and they lack popular support. So, in the end, both sides will turn their backs on them, and that could also damage Israel's ability to recruit people; they will think twice before taking that risk for fear of being abandoned," the resident said.
The militia source, however, rejected that claim. "Israel will never abandon us. It will continue to support us," he said, pointing to Israel's past support for members of the South Lebanon Army as proof. "We believe Israel will protect us; our safety is guaranteed," he said."
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-904304
"The Palestinian Islamic Jihad has agreed to the disarmament deal set forth by US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, the Saudi state-owned Al-Hadath reported on Sunday afternoon, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The deal, announced by Trump on Thursday night, includes the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in the Gaza Strip, which would then lead to an IDF withdrawal.
Following the withdrawal, the International Stabilization Force (ISF) will begin reconstruction in cooperation with new civil forces. Israel has criticized the agreement, saying that its implementation hinges on disarming Hamas as a pre-condition...."
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-904313
"Iranian authorities are concerned that intelligence agencies could use audio files to track Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s location, according to an article published on Sunday by the Tehran Municipality-affiliated Iranian daily Al-Mashhari.
In a post on its Telegram channel, Al-Mashhari claimed the fears explained why no audio recordings of Khamenei have been released.
The newspaper outlined five ways a recording could potentially reveal where he was located...."
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-904341
"Former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan said Saturday that Israel was expected to stop its attacks and targeted killings in the Gaza Strip beginning Sunday morning local time, based on an assurance he had received from Jared Kushner. Meanwhile, Palestinian reports said two people were killed overnight in a strike in the Deir al-Balah area of the central Gaza Strip.
Dahlan made the remarks after Hamas and the other Palestinian factions agreed to a 15-point roadmap for continuing the implementation of the Gaza peace plan. In his statement, he said the agreement's success depended on "Israel's full commitment to ending the daily bombardment, killing, assassinations and attacks in Gaza."
"Mr. Jared Kushner confirmed to us that he had reached an agreement with the Israeli side to halt attacks in Gaza beginning tomorrow morning," Dahlan said. "We are continuing intensive talks with the American side to ensure the agreement is implemented faithfully and in full."
Dahlan also called on all Palestinian factions to fully abide by the agreement, halt armed displays and refrain from anything that could, in his words, give Israel "an excuse to derail it." He added that the factions should prepare for "a phase full of challenges," during which they would be required to rebuild Gaza, protect the West Bank and continue working toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
At the same time, Palestinian reports said two people were killed in a strike in the Deir al-Balah area of the central Gaza Strip, before the time when Dahlan said the halt in attacks was due to take effect. In response to the publication of the roadmap, Hamas set out a series of conditions for proceeding with the second phase, including an end to Israeli attacks, an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the entry of the committee tasked with administering the territory.
The roadmap includes a process for decommissioning and storing heavy weapons, military production facilities, weapons depots and tunnels. At the same time, it stipulates that Israel will proceed with a phased withdrawal according to an agreed timetable.
Dahlan, formerly one of Fatah's most senior officials and the head of the Palestinian Authority's Preventive Security Service in Gaza, has lived in Abu Dhabi for years. His name has previously been raised as a possible candidate for a role in governing the Gaza Strip after the war, although he has denied any intention of accepting a security, ministerial or executive position."
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/08/02/former-pa-official-kushner-promised-israel-will-stop-gaza-strikes/
"Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Col. Gen. Aleksandr Chayko was the intended target of an explosive device detonated Saturday night at an upscale Moscow restaurant where he was reportedly due to celebrate his 55th birthday, according to several pro-Russian military bloggers. Three people were killed and 21 others were injured in the bombing.
The explosion occurred at about 8 p.m. local time on the ground floor of a building on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow, where the luxury restaurant Balzi Rossi is located.
Russian authorities said a woman attempted to bring an improvised explosive device weighing about one kilogram (2.2 pounds) into the restaurant. The device was packed with metal balls. The woman, a restaurant security guard and another person were killed in the blast. Twenty-one people suffered injuries of varying severity. Authorities have not confirmed that Chayko was the target of the bombing or even that he was present at the restaurant. It is also not known whether he was injured.
Chayko was appointed commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces in May. At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he commanded Russian forces advancing through northern Ukraine toward Kyiv. In that role, he was responsible for forces that occupied the Bucha area, where Russian troops carried out a brutal massacre of local civilians. The Security Service of Ukraine has also accused him of ordering the bombing of residential buildings in March 2022, an attack that Ukraine says killed more than 30 people. The European Union imposed sanctions on Chayko over his role in the Bucha massacre..."
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/08/02/senior-russian-commander-reportedly-targeted-in-moscow-bombing/
