Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy criticises Israeli strikes and Hamas actions

The Board of Peace’s representative for Gaza informed the Security Council on Wednesday that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached an agreement during their recent meeting to create a mechanism for addressing outstanding governmental concerns, and that dedicated committees have been formed to implement it.

Mladenov noted that the process has not stalled, but cautioned that risks persist, notably the ongoing killings of Palestinian civilians in Israeli airstrikes.

“A ceasefire that still leaves civilians buried is not yet a reality the people of Gaza can feel. Any use of force not responding to an immediate threat, and any incident not addressed by the deconfliction mechanism, undermines the process and makes it extremely difficult to recover,” he said.

Mladenov acknowledged that Hamas has also not fully committed to ceasing all military activities.

“Every weapon carried, every operational tunnel, and every obstructed convoy set back the process and provide arguments to those seeking to resume hostilities,” he said.

He reiterated that, according to the new roadmap, Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza will follow the verified decommissioning of Hamas weapons handed over to the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with governing Gaza under the Board of Peace’s supervision.

“The process is sequenced and reciprocal,” he said.

This represents a key difference from remarks made by former President Trump’s envoy, Jared Kushner, after meeting Israel’s prime minister two weeks earlier.

He said Israeli withdrawal would be discussed only after Gaza’s demilitarisation is complete, seemingly aligning with Israel’s demands.

Israel’s representative told the Security Council that it remains committed to the US‑brokered plan from last October for ending the Gaza war, but she insisted its success is impossible while Hamas retains weapons, tunnels, and other military infrastructure.

“Disarmament must come first,” she stated.

The Palestinian representative accused Israel of killing Palestinian civilians with impunity in Gaza and urged the international community to protect them immediately.

Mladenov warned that if the ceasefire were to collapse, “there would be no roadmap to return to, no administration to deploy, and nothing left of the ground to rebuild.”

“That would not be a setback; it would be a point of no return for everyone.”

The war began with the Hamas‑led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.

Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 73,430 people have been killed, according to the territory’s health ministry.

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