Gaza Divide Under Current Status Quo Could Become Permanent, Envoy Warns

UN Security Council Told to Press for Israeli Obligations and Hamas Disarmament Under Gaza Ceasefire Roadmap

The United Nations Security Council was urged by Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative overseeing the US-founded Board of Peace for Gaza, to use all available means to press Hamas into disarmament. Speaking via video call on Thursday, Mladenov presented a roadmap outlining obligations for Israel and Hamas to implement a permanent ceasefire.

The roadmap calls for both parties to uphold their commitments under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. However, Mladenov emphasized that implementation cannot proceed solely through Palestinian obligations. He noted that continued killings and Israeli restrictions affecting humanitarian flows are not abstract issues.

Since the October 2025 ceasefire, more than 72,775 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict. The Israeli military maintains a strict security regime, resulting in additional deaths over the past seven months. On Thursday, an Israeli drone attack killed a 26-year-old in Gaza’s al-Mahatta area.

Conflict monitors warn that since the US-Israel war on Iran was struck last month, Israeli bombardment of Gaza has accelerated. Violent raids by settlers and the military in the occupied West Bank have also increased.

Mladenov warned of the risks of inaction by both parties, stating that a deteriorating status quo could become permanent. This scenario would see Hamas holding control over two million people across less than half the territory, with limited reconstruction financing available due to ongoing conflict.

The US announced in January that the Gaza ceasefire was moving to phase two, which focuses on Hamas’s disarmament, long-term governance, and the establishment of a panel of Palestinian technocrats. However, the transition has been stalled for weeks amid global attention to the war in Iran and a global energy crisis.

Source: Al Jazeera