Mladenov Says Stalled Gaza Ceasefire Hinges on Hamas Disarmament

Nickolay Mladenov, the top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, said Wednesday that the truce was stalled because it hinges on Hamas’ disarmament, calling the issue “not negotiable.”

“Israel has drastically escalated its attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip in the five weeks since halting its joint bombing with the United States of Iran, redirecting its firepower to the devastated Palestinian enclave”

Al Jazeera

Mladenov warned that without disarmament, Gaza faced a future of prolonged “misery,” while he said the phased deal was paralyzed over Hamas not yet disarming and that progress on reconstruction, Israeli troop withdrawals, and a new Palestinian government was being held up.

Al Jazeera

He described the ceasefire as giving Israeli military control of half of Gaza east of a “yellow line,” hemming Palestinians into tent camps along the beach where rights groups say food, water, and healthcare are in short supply and rodent infestations are spreading disease.

In Jerusalem, Mladenov said the plan envisioned in the ceasefire was off to a rocky start and that he could envision a role for Hamas in postwar Gaza if it disarms, adding, “We are not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement.”

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 said conditions remain dire and miserable for the more than two million people in Gaza.

The Associated Press framed his remarks as an admission that the deadlock over disarming Hamas had paralyzed reconstruction, quoting Mladenov saying Hamas’ obligation to give up its arsenal is “not negotiable.”

Anadolu Ajansi

The Press-Enterprise report also said the ceasefire gave Israeli military control of half of Gaza east of a “yellow line,” and it cited Gisha’s Wednesday report that the military claimed “coordination control” over an additional 11% of the territory in March.

It added that UNRWA says 10 facilities, including emergency shelters, are now off-limits, while it reported that Israel has stepped up its attacks in Gaza since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire took effect last month and that many Palestinians fear a return of more airstrikes and full-scale war may be imminent.

A separate report said Israel intensified its attacks against Palestinians in Gaza after a ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli war imposed on Iran went into effect five weeks ago, with conflict monitor ACLED saying Israel carried out 35 percent more strikes last month than in March.

“After the release of the hostages, what will happen in the Gaza ceasefire plan”

BBC

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 120 Palestinians, including eight women and 13 children, were killed in Gaza since a ceasefire was reached between Iran and the US on April 8, marking a 20 percent increase compared to the five weeks prior.

Lafi Al-Najjar, a blind Palestinian whose son was killed in an Israeli attack late last month, said, “It stopped in the announcement, but in reality and on the ground, the war has not stopped.”

Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said Israel’s refusal to fulfil its commitments poses a major obstacle to advancing to the second phase of the ceasefire, and he called on U.S. President Donald Trump and the international community to compel Israel to implement the Gaza ceasefire fully, saying, “We want the cessation of hostilities to hold, the transition to the reconstruction phase, and the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces.”