UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥� The official overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in urged the U.N. Security Council on Thursday to use 鈥渆very means at its disposal鈥� to press Hamas to disarm, warning that every act of violence in the Palestinian territory risks 鈥渦nraveling鈥� the agreement.
Nickolay Mladenov, high representative of the , an international body established by President Donald Trump, said Israel must also uphold its obligations under the October ceasefire, pointing to the and restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid.
The choice before Hamas and Israel is either 鈥渁 deteriorating status quo鈥� or a new beginning for Palestinians now waiting 鈥渋n desperate conditions,鈥� he said. “There is no third option. There never was, and the people of Gaza should not be made to wait while some pretend that there is.鈥�
Mladenov was expanding on the by the Board of Peace, which said the main obstacle to full implementation of the ceasefire remains “Hamas鈥� refusal to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control, and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza.鈥�
Hamas, in a statement, criticized the new report and said it ignored Israel鈥檚 failure to comply with the terms of the ceasefire.
The Palestinian militant group, which led the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, has sought to link any demilitarization to Israeli troop pullbacks. Israel鈥檚 military has expanded its control of Gaza since the truce took effect and now controls some 60% of the territory.
Mladenov, a veteran Bulgarian diplomat, said if Israel and Hamas refuse to accept the roadmap to implement Trump’s peace plan, the Board of Peace will discuss ways to provide humanitarian relief and promote recovery in the territory.
If nothing is done, he said, Gaza will remain divided with Hamas holding administrative and military control over 2 million Palestinians who can live in less than half of the Gaza Strip and are likely to remain trapped in rubble, needing aid and without hope of reconstruction or a future for their children.
鈥淭his is a version of the future that Israelis, Palestinians and the region should all fear and all mobilize to avoid,鈥� Mladenov said.
He said the decommissioning of weapons 鈥渨ill be gradual, sequenced and time-bound against an agreed timetable鈥� 鈥� and that weapons from Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups will not be transferred to Israel but to the transitional administration in Gaza.
The roadmap deserves the Security Council鈥檚 鈥渃lear, consistent and unequivocal support,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 ask the council to use every means at its disposal to urge Hamas to accept the roadmap without further delay, and Israel to uphold its obligations under the ceasefire,鈥� Mladenov said. 鈥淒iplomacy must continue, cannot be used as an excuse for delay while 2 million people wait in desperate conditions.鈥�
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, did not directly address the disarmament of Hamas but said all parties must abide by their commitments under the ceasefire agreement. He said it offered an opportunity to end the conflict and ensure 鈥減eace, security and prosperity for Palestinians, Israelis and the wider region.鈥�
鈥淚nternational law is not optional,鈥� Mansour said. “There should be only one path, compliance or enforcement.鈥�
Israel鈥檚 deputy U.N. ambassador Jonathan Miller said the Security Council is under a 鈥渄angerous illusion 鈥� that diplomacy can succeed while terrorist organizations are allowed to hold diplomacy hostage.鈥�
He accused Hamas of using diplomatic negotiations to consolidate control in Gaza and rebuild its weapons stocks. 鈥淭his is not a political organization transitioning towards diplomacy 鈥� it is a terrorist army preserving its capacity for the next war,鈥� Miller said.
Shortly after Mladenov briefed the council, the heads of three major humanitarian organizations told U.N. reporters that the board’s report was not an honest portrayal of the circumstances on the ground in Gaza and obscured the reality that Palestinians face daily despite the ceasefire.
Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International, said the 鈥渆asiest parts鈥� of the peace plan 鈥� full and undeterred aid access 鈥� have not been carried out.
鈥淭he people of Gaza cannot wait for more Security Council briefings and for more deliberations in New York,鈥� Konyndyk said. 鈥淭hey need action now. They have needed action for a very long time. And the international community needs to decide what it actually stands for.鈥�
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Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.
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