Hamas must disarm, not ‘disappear’ from Gaza: Board of Peace’s Mladenov

Nickolay Mladenov, the top diplomat overseeing the United States-brokered “ceasefire” in Gaza as part of US President Donald Trump’s International Board of Peace, has said he could envision a political role for Hamas in post-war Gaza if the Palestinian group disarms.

“We are not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement,” Mladenov told reporters on Wednesday at a rare news conference in Jerusalem.

He said the phased ceasefire deal was paralysed over Hamas not yet disarming, calling it “not negotiable”.

Disarmament remained a sticking point that stalled progress on other fronts, while Hamas blamed Israel for continuing to violate the truce.

The first phase of the agreement saw the release of the last captives seized in southern Israel in October 2023, in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.

The transition to the second phase envisioned Hamas handing over its weapons, Israeli forces withdrawing, and the rebuilding of destroyed swaths of the coastal enclave after more than two years of war.

Seven months since the “ceasefire” came into force on October 10, humanitarian groups say Israel has not allowed the promised amount of aid in, while Hamas refuses to give up its arsenal, including rockets, antitank missiles, and explosives.

Hamas has refused to give up weapons as Israeli troops control more than 50 percent of the Gaza Strip.

“The only way that we believe that we can ensure that Israeli withdrawal takes place to the perimeter is if we have the full element of the plan unfolding in Gaza,” Mladenov said.

Hamas points finger at Israel

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem responded to Mladenov, saying he should “identify the party violating the ceasefire”.

“Pressure must be exerted on the occupation to implement what was stated in the first phase and to enter into discussions regarding the second phase,” Qassem said, adding that more than 850 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the “ceasefire” came into effect.

“Hamas responded positively to the proposals put forward by the mediators in order to reach reasonable and logical approaches,” he said in a statement.

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), which tracks Israeli attacks in Gaza, said in ⁠a report on Wednesday that Israel had carried out 35 percent more attacks in April than in March.

It added that Israel has been redirecting its firepower to the devastated Palestinian enclave in the five weeks since halting its joint bombing with the United States of Iran.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 120 Palestinians, including eight women and 13 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the truce with Iran on April 8.