Hamas Spokesman Hazem Qassem Slams Nikolay Mladenov Over Gaza Ceasefire Violations

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the movement’s position was clear from the start that it “does not want to be part of the arrangements for the day after the aggression on the Gaza Strip ends,” while also describing an agreement to form a national committee to administer Gaza.

“Video duration: 24 minutes 57 seconds The program 'What’s Behind the News' in the May 14, 2026 episode discussed the implications of statements by Nikolai Mladenov, the executive director of the Peace Council, regarding the implementation of the Gaza agreement, and the realism of his announcement about the readiness of the 'National Committee' to take over governance”

Al-Jazeera Net

Qassem said Hamas called for pressure on Israel to allow the rapid entry of the national committee into Gaza and that it had “taken all the necessary field, political and legal steps to transfer all governance responsibilities to the national committee in the Strip, including the security sphere”.

Al-Jazeera Net

He criticized former UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov’s remarks on ceasefire violations, saying speaking about breaches “in general terms contradicts the reality and the facts”.

Qassem argued Israel violated the agreement by killing more than 850 people, restricting the entry of aid, and continuously moving the “yellow line” westwards, and he said it was necessary for Mladenov to point to Israeli violations to achieve full implementation of the plan of US President Donald Trump.

Egypt Today reported that Hamas renewed its call for the immediate empowerment of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, also known as the technocratic committee, by allowing it to enter the Gaza Strip, assume its full responsibilities, and receive all necessary resources.

In Jerusalem on Wednesday, Egypt Today said senior diplomat Nikolay Mladenov called for the current administration in Gaza to step down before allowing the committee to enter, and it quoted Hamas’s response that such a move “would effectively plunge Gaza into chaos and anarchy, which is precisely what the criminal occupation seeks and is working to perpetuate.”

Chronique de Palestine

The same report said Mladenov repeatedly described disarmament as a fundamental sticking point and stressed that Hamas’s commitment to relinquishing its arsenal was “non-negotiable,” while adding that progress on reconstruction, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the formation of a new Palestinian government remains stalled.

Al Jazeera Net’s “What’s Behind the News” episode discussed the implications of Mladenov’s statements and examined Hamas’s insistence on obligating the occupier to fulfill humanitarian and security commitments before talking about a transfer of governance or the fate of the weapons of the resistance.

Multiple reports described delays in the handover of governance to the National Committee for Gaza Administration, with Asharq Al-Awsat saying about three months passed since the formation of the “Gaza Strip Administration Committee” in Cairo without its members being able to cross the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip to begin their work.

“On the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, Noura Erakat, a lawyer and co-editor of Jadaliyya, addressed the UN (video below)”

Contretemps

Asharq Al-Awsat cited four main reasons for the delay, including the ongoing Israeli ban, the lack of a final mechanism with Hamas on the handover, the absence of a financial budget, and the presence of international forces outside the Strip or internal security forces to support its work.

It also said Palestinian sources accused Nikolai Mladenov of standing behind obstruction of the committee’s entry, while one source told Asharq Al-Awsat that “The problem is with the Israelis.”

In parallel, TRT عربي reported that a Reuters source said only three countries—United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and the United States—had made financial contributions totaling less than one billion dollars, and that the National Committee for Gaza Administration had not been able to enter the enclave due to funding shortfalls and security challenges.