Edith M. Lederer

Nickolay Mladenov, the senior official overseeing Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire strategy, told the U.N. Security Council that Israel’s continued strikes are delaying Hamas’s disarmament and Gaza’s transition to civilian rule. He said Hamas had accepted the framework’s core requirements and that negotiations had shifted toward resolving technical issues, but warned that renewed warfare could destroy the peace initiative and reconstruction prospects. Israel reaffirmed its support for Trump’s plan while insisting that Hamas fully surrender its weapons, and the United States said remaining concerns were being addressed. Mladenov presented a stark choice between a disarmed, rebuilt Gaza and a return to conflict, while noting that the plan could lead toward a two-state solution opposed by Netanyahu.