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The Gaza ceasefire remains stalled as negotiators confront a central deadlock over disarming Hamas, the Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov said Wednesday during discussions in Jerusalem. Mladenov, described by the Associated Press as the top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, said the dispute has paralyzed steps that were supposed to follow the truce, including reconstruction and Israeli troop withdrawals, as well as plans for a new Palestinian government.
Speaking to foreign reporters in Jerusalem, Mladenov said his office is addressing ceasefire violations by both sides “on a daily basis,” but he repeatedly returned to disarmament as the key obstacle to moving forward. He said Hamas’ obligation to give up its arsenal is “not negotiable” and described how other tracks in the ceasefire framework have become linked to that issue rather than advancing on their own.
“You cannot build a future with armed groups running the streets, hiding in tunnels and stockpiling weapons. You cannot deliver reconstruction with militias on every corner,” Mladenov told reporters. He warned that without disarmament, Gaza faced a future of prolonged “misery,” and he did not outline what the Board of Peace would do if Hamas does not disarm.
The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan ties Hamas’ participation to disarmament and includes dismantling Hamas’ tunnels, along with other elements intended to follow the truce. Those elements include Israeli forces withdrawing, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force, and rebuilding parts of Palestinian territory after more than two years of war, according to the AP account of the plan.
Mladenov said he believes the steps in Gaza that would allow the ceasefire’s promised sequence to proceed depend on “the full elements of the plan unfolding in Gaza.” He spoke after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said the truce has gotten off to “a rocky start,” as conditions in the territory remain dire. The Associated Press reported that nearly all of Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents have been displaced, with many still in tent camps where basic services are lacking.
Mladenov also framed the ceasefire as only partially preventing a return to full-scale war, while describing an ongoing pattern of violations. He said the “door to the future of Gaza” has remained closed seven months after the ceasefire began, adding that it has not delivered what Palestinians were promised and not provided Israel the security it says it needs to move forward.
Under the ceasefire arrangement described by the AP, Israel controls about half of Gaza east of a “yellow line,” which has hemmed Palestinians into tent camps along the beach. Rights group accounts cited by the AP say conditions there have deteriorated, including shortages of food, water and healthcare and the spread of rodent infestations. The AP also reported that Israeli military claims of “coordination control” over an additional 11% of Gaza were raised in a Wednesday report by Gisha, beyond the area initially behind the yellow line.
The Associated Press said that the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, reported that 10 facilities—including emergency shelters—are now off-limits. It also said Israel has stepped up attacks in Gaza since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire took effect last month, leaving many Palestinians fearing further airstrikes and the possibility of another major escalation.
Mladenov told reporters that the Board of Peace translated Trump’s ceasefire proposal into a 15-point “detailed implementation roadmap.” He said it has been discussed with Hamas representatives in Cairo “many times” and that two versions were presented to Hamas, with the second “revised explicitly to address the questions and concerns that the Palestinian factions raised in our discussions,” though he did not say what the current status is with Hamas.
The Associated Press reported that Hamas has sought to link demilitarization to Israeli troop pullbacks and has said it is willing to hand over government power to a committee, while arguing it does not want to disarm immediately. Hamas has said an interim administration, including a police force, is needed to restore order in parts of Gaza under its control until a technocratic committee takes over, while Israel has struck police stations and officers since the ceasefire, viewing them as instruments of Hamas rule.
Hamas has also resisted giving up its weapons, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives, the AP reported, with Hamas officials and mediators telling reporters on condition of anonymity that the group seeks to differentiate between heavy weapons such as rockets and lighter weapons like rifles and pistols. Mladenov said Hamas is “consolidating its grip” over parts of Gaza it controls by imposing taxes on residents and blocking relief efforts to build temporary housing, and he asked, “To what end?”—describing the possibility of squeezing better terms of negotiation.
Mladenov also said he could envision a role for Hamas in postwar Gaza if it disarms, telling reporters, “We are not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement.” He added that, in his description, a political party that disavows armed activity could compete in Palestinian elections.
Israel’s leaders have said they want to destroy the militant group that has governed Gaza for two decades and that orchestrated the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, the AP said. The AP reported that Israel’s ensuing offensive has killed over 72,724 Palestinians, including at least 846 since the ceasefire took hold last October, according to local health officials.