CAIRO – 13 May 2026: Nickolay Mladenov, the senior diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, accused Hamas of obstructing the ceasefire agreement by refusing to surrender its weapons, a key condition, he said, which was outlined in the peace plan and discussed on multiple occasions.
Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Mladenov repeatedly described disarmament as a fundamental sticking point, stressing that Hamas’s commitment to relinquishing its arsenal was “non-negotiable.” He added that progress on other major issues—including reconstruction, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the formation of a new Palestinian government—remains stalled.
“Seven months since the ceasefire, the door to the future of Gaza is still closed,” he said. “It is not what the Palestinians were promised, and it is not what they deserve. And it is not giving Israel the security to move forward, as the Israeli people also want.”
Mladenov said the Board of Peace had transformed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s original proposal into a 15-point “detailed implementation roadmap,” which had been discussed with Hamas representatives multiple times. However, he blamed the group for the current deadlock.
He also accused both Hamas and Israel of violating the ceasefire, though he noted that the agreement had largely held and helped prevent a return to full-scale war.
The senior diplomat added that Hamas could still remain an active political movement in Palestine if it agreed to disarm, stressing that no one had asked the group to disappear completely.
Be Social
Comments
Leave a Comment