Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov urged Israel to halt strikes in Gaza and ease alleged restrictions on civilian supplies while pressing Hamas to disarm, telling the UN Security Council on Wednesday that neither side had fully carried out commitments under the Gaza framework.
Mladenov said implementation has fallen short of expectations, with Hamas still armed and disagreements continuing over steps Israel is expected to take.
He criticized restrictions on shelter supplies entering Gaza and Israeli airstrikes against senior terrorists. Israel says the strikes are required to protect its security, while Mladenov said continued military operations would not lead Hamas to surrender its weapons.
Mladenov also criticized Hamas for failing to fulfill its obligations under the disarmament proposal, which called for both sides to stop military activity.
An Arab diplomat from one of the mediating countries told The Times of Israel earlier this month that the Board of Peace has urged Hamas to stop deploying armed and uniformed men in Gaza’s streets.
Hamas accepted the disarmament proposal on July 30, a step intended to trigger a 14-day period for the parties to establish a timetable for phased Hamas disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas has yet to give up its weapons, and the two-week period has not started.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the proposal as inadequate, saying it would not actually lead to Hamas disarming. He said Israel consequently would not carry out the phased withdrawals stipulated by the proposal.
Mladenov said Israel was neither being asked to endorse another disarmament roadmap nor to agree to a complete withdrawal from Gaza.
Instead, he said Israel was being asked to reaffirm commitments under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which Netanyahu accepted in September before a ceasefire the following month.
“While Israel has reaffirmed that framework, important questions of implementation still remain open,” Mladenov said.