Trump Gaza ceasefire official criticizes Israel for continued attacks
The US official overseeing President Donald Trump's Gaza plan on Wednesday warned that continued Israeli strikes could undermine efforts to end the war, saying a return to fighting could leave the territory with no way back to negotiations.
Nikolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace high representative, told the UN Security Council that Trump's 20-point plan was still moving forward.
"The plan has moved from the negotiating table to the engineering table," he said.
Mladenov said Hamas had agreed to disarm and hand Gaza over to civilian administration, but Israel's continuing strikes were making it difficult for people in Gaza to believe the war was coming to an end.
He questioned whether further attacks on Hamas weapons sites would prevent the group from rebuilding its military capabilities.
"After three years of war and 20 years of military operations, I ask, will another strike on a munitions depot stop Hamas from rearming or tightening its grip on Gaza?" he said.
"It will not."
Mladenov said such strikes could instead delay the proposed disarmament of Hamas and the move towards civilian rule in Gaza.
The comments came as Israel and Hamas remain divided over the implementation of Trump's plan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli forces will not pull back from their current positions until Hamas gives up its weapons.
Mladenov said he met Netanyahu and Trump's adviser Jared Kushner last week to discuss Israel's concerns. He said the discussions had narrowed the issues that still needed to be resolved.
Israel's deputy UN ambassador Noa Furman told the council that Israel remained committed to the plan but said it could not succeed while Hamas was still armed. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the outstanding concerns were being addressed and that Hamas' commitment to disarmament would be judged by its actions.
Mladenov warned that renewed fighting could have consequences beyond another temporary setback.
"If war resumes, there won't be a roadmap to return to or anything left on the ground to rebuild," he said.
"That would not be a setback. It would be a point of no return for everyone."
He said the plan offered two possible paths for Gaza: one towards disarmament, reconstruction and greater international integration, and another towards renewed conflict and further destruction.
Mladenov also said the proposal offered Palestinians a political path towards a two-state solution, which Netanyahu has rejected.
(With inputs from PTI)
