Israeli officials quoted by Axios on 2 July said the army is prepared to level Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, as it did in Rafah, if talks on a cease-fire and a hostage-exchange deal continue to stagnate. One senior official warned that “everything in Gaza will turn to ashes” should there be no movement toward an agreement. The Jerusalem Post echoed the message on 28 July, citing an Israeli source who said the military would widen its campaign if negotiations remain stalled. The official framed the step as a contingency rather than a preferred course of action. By 31 July, i24NEWS reported that Hamas had severed communications, prompting another Israeli source to call an expanded operation in the enclave “inevitable.” The same report said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for nearly three hours with U.S. special envoy Steve Whitkoff, and that Washington and Jerusalem are coordinating on next steps, including plans to increase humanitarian aid even as fighting persists.