Lead

Egypt has initiated an urgent diplomatic push to rescue the Gaza ceasefire agreement, warning Israel that expanding its military control would undermine efforts to end the war, according to an Egyptian intelligence official who spoke to Al Jazeera. The intervention comes as Israeli attacks have intensified, with at least 141 Palestinians killed in the last two weeks.

Coverage Comparison

Al Jazeera reported on two related developments. The first focuses on Egypt's diplomatic efforts to salvage the ceasefire, quoting Egyptian intelligence officials and describing intense contacts between the parties. The second report examines Israel's actions since the ceasefire, citing analysts, human rights officials, and the Gaza Rights Center. Both reports attribute the crisis to Israeli military operations and expansion plans.

Key Claims

  • Egypt's diplomatic intervention: Egypt has contacted US officials to ask President Donald Trump to restrain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an Egyptian intelligence official who spoke to Al Jazeera. Egypt has also invited a senior Hamas delegation, led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, for urgent talks.
  • Israeli expansion order: Netanyahu issued a directive ordering the military to expand the area under its control from 53% to 70%, which mediators say violates the US-brokered comprehensive peace plan signed in October 2025.
  • Civilian casualties: At least 141 Palestinians have been killed in the last two weeks in an intensification of Israeli attacks. Separately, Israeli forces have killed at least 880 Palestinians since the ceasefire, according to Gaza's health ministry.
  • Demolition and displacement: The Gaza Rights Center documented at least 12 cases in May where Israeli forces ordered forced evacuations by phone before demolishing residential blocks in Nuseirat, Bureij, and Maghazi. The rights monitor said operations lack legitimate military objectives and make the territory uninhabitable.
  • Ceasefire as cover: Analysts and human rights officials, including Mai El-Sheikh of the UN Human Rights Office in Palestine, told Al Jazeera that Israel has used the ceasefire as cover for continued military operations and is deliberately engineering a humanitarian disaster.

Perspectives

Egyptian Government

Egypt warns that Israeli expansion and attacks threaten the ceasefire and is pursuing urgent diplomacy with both Israel and Hamas to prevent all-out war.

Israeli Government

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, have ordered military expansion and revived a blueprint for the "voluntary migration" of Palestinians, asserting it would be implemented "at the right time and in the right manner."

Analysts and Rights Monitors

The Gaza Rights Center and UN officials describe systematic demolition, forced displacement, and the deliberate creation of a humanitarian crisis, arguing the ceasefire is being exploited for continued military operations.