Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said there is no deal to halt attacks on Gaza. He said Israel, which already controls about 70 percent of the enclave, should take full control if Hamas does not disarm. [1]

Cohen sits on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet. On Army Radio he said the government would give Hamas a chance to disarm and that he was "very sceptical" it would. "In the deal we signed with the United States, our stance is that Hamas must be dismantled. This is the first thing that must happen," he said. [1]

The remarks landed as Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Khan Younis. Palestinian health officials reported the heaviest daily death toll in weeks. Reuters and Al-Monitor put the Sunday count at least at 18. [1]

A Netanyahu office spokesman later told Reuters that Israel had expressed concerns to Washington about the disarmament plan. Hamas said it had shown "considerable flexibility" and accused Israel of imposing facts on the ground. [1]

The paper's Gaza line this week is the same gap. A White House breakthrough and a security-cabinet radio interview are not the same instrument. Cohen named the instrument Israel still intends to use.

-- YOSEF STERN, Jerusalem