Mladenov Says Hamas Disarmament Deadlocks U.S.-Brokered Gaza Truce

Nickolay Mladenov, the Gaza envoy for the U.S.-brokered Board of Peace, said Wednesday that the truce is stalled because Hamas has not agreed to disarm, leaving reconstruction of the war-battered enclave paralyzed.

“- Published A senior diplomat tasked with implementing Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza has said Hamas could survive as a political movement after handing over power, if it rejected armed conflict and gave up its weapons and military structures”

BBC

Mladenov told foreign reporters in Jerusalem, "You cannot build a future with armed groups running the streets, hiding in tunnels and stockpiling weapons," and he warned that without disarmament Gaza faces a future of prolonged "misery."

BBC

The Board of Peace envoy said the phased ceasefire has been deadlocked for weeks on Hamas disarmament, while progress on reconstruction, Israeli troop withdrawals, and the establishment of a new Palestinian government has been held up.

Mladenov also said the plan’s implementation roadmap has been discussed with Hamas representatives in Cairo many times, and he said two versions of the proposal were presented, with the second revised to address questions raised by Palestinian factions.

He framed the choice as either implementing the next step of the peace plan or cementing Gaza’s division along the so-called Yellow Line, which he said could become "probably into a fence, probably into a wall."

Mladenov said the ceasefire is holding but "far from perfect," describing violations every day as Israeli strikes continue and both the military and Hamas accuse one another of violating the truce.

He told reporters in Jerusalem, "There are violations every day, and some of them are very serious," and he said civilians still are being killed while families live in fear and delays and restrictions continue to affect humanitarian access and daily life.

CBC

The Free Malaysia Today account said more than 850 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began, according to Gaza’s health ministry operating under Hamas authority, while the Israeli military said five soldiers have been killed in Gaza over the same period.

In parallel, the BBC reported that Patrick Griffiths, Middle East spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said he had heard gunfire and explosions every day while visiting the field hospital in Rafah, close to the Israeli-held area.

Griffiths told the BBC that "All my colleagues there had a story about going to the ground as stray bullets fly over the hospital," underscoring the day-to-day danger near the Yellow Line.

Mladenov warned that continuing the status quo risks solidifying the Yellow Line into a permanent separation, and he said the Board of Peace has not designated any color zones in Gaza.

“Despite an October ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by daily violence as Israeli strikes continue, with both the military and Hamas accusing one another of violating the truce”

Free Malaysia Today

He said the Board of Peace is asking the political leadership of those who govern Gaza now to step aside, and he linked the demand to the Security Council resolution in the 20-point plan.

The PBS account said the ceasefire envisions Israeli forces withdrawing, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, the deployment of an international security force, and rebuilding destroyed swaths of Palestinian territory after more than two years of war, but it said the deadlock over disarming Hamas has paralyzed reconstruction.

The BBC reported that Israel’s government said the terms of the ceasefire deal state that Hamas and other factions "agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form," while Hamas says it is committed to handing over power.

Mladenov said both sides now faced a choice between implementing the next step or cementing division, warning that without disarmament the future could harden into a landscape of indefinite ruin without reconstruction.