Nickolay Mladenov Warns UN Security Council Gaza Divide Risks Becoming Permanent

UN Special Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov warned the UN Security Council that the deteriorating status quo in the devastated Palestinian enclave risks becoming “permanent,” saying the implementation of the plan cannot advance through Palestinian obligations alone.

“The high representative overseeing the United States-founded Board of Peace for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, has warned that the deteriorating status quo in the devastated Palestinian enclave risks becoming “permanent””

Al Jazeera

Speaking via video call, Mladenov told the council, “The continued killings and Israeli restrictions affecting humanitarian flows are not abstract issues,” and warned that the current incomplete ceasefire could entrench a divided Gaza.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that Mladenov presented a roadmap detailing obligations for Israel and Hamas to implement a permanent ceasefire, urging the UNSC to use “every means at its disposal” to press Hamas to disarm.

The Oz Arab Media report said Mladenov cautioned that if both parties fail to act, Hamas would hold military and administrative control over two million people across less than half the territory, leaving residents dependent on aid without meaningful reconstruction.

Oz Arab Media also said the ongoing conflict has resulted in more than 72,775 Palestinian deaths since the war began following the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas and other armed groups.

Ynetnews said Mladenov presented the UN Security Council with a 15-point Gaza roadmap for implementing U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, warning Israel and Hamas now face only two paths: “a deteriorating status quo” or a new beginning for Palestinians.

Mladenov told the council that the ceasefire was still far from stable, with violations continuing on a near-daily basis, and he said about 1% of humanitarian aid entering Gaza is still reaching terrorist organizations.

Devdiscourse

In the same briefing, ynetnews reported that the number of Gazans benefiting from aid has risen from roughly 400,000 to about 2 million, while Mladenov said some 80% of buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed and around 70 million tons of rubble remain scattered across the Strip.

The National reported Mladenov urged the Security Council to use “every means at its disposal” to press Hamas to disarm and called on Israel to honour its ceasefire commitments, warning that the risk of inaction is a divided Gaza with Hamas holding military and administrative control over two million people across less than half the territory.

The National added that Save the Children US president and chief executive Janti Soeripto said deliveries remain far below the 600 lorries per day stipulated in the peace plan, and she said “The price of flour is still up by 50 per cent” while “Eggs disappeared from the market months ago.”

Mladenov warned that reconstruction cannot proceed without weapons being laid down, telling the UN Security Council that “Reconstruction financing will not follow where weapons have not been laid down,” and he said this would leave Gaza dependent on aid with no meaningful reconstruction.

“Gaza remains gripped by daily violence as Israeli strikes continue The Gaza high representative of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace warned Thursday that the status quo in the divided and devastated territory -- including an imperfect ceasefire -- risks becoming "permanent" reality”

Gulf News

The Times of Israel reported that Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said Mladenov’s remarks were an “attempt to create justifications for the occupation’s escalation against the people of the Gaza Strip and for tightening the siege imposed on them,” as the Board of Peace envoy pressed for disarmament.

Al Jazeera said Mladenov warned that the result would be “Another generation growing up in tents in fear, with despair as the most rational thing for them to feel,” and it described his warning that Gaza’s division could become permanent.

Sudan Independent said Mladenov warned the danger lies in the deteriorating current situation becoming permanent, with Gaza split as Israel controls about 60 percent of the Strip while Hamas retains military and administrative control over more than two million people in less than half of the Gaza Strip.

Al Jazeera also said the war halted by a ceasefire in October 2025 has killed more than 72,775 Palestinians, while the Israeli military maintains a strict security regime and “many hundreds more have been killed in the past seven months.”