Israel Appoints Mladenov as Director of Proposed Gaza Peace Board

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian diplomat, will serve as the director-general for the proposed “Peace Council” in Gaza. The announcement was made after a meeting between Netanyahu and Mladenov in Jerusalem on Thursday.

According to Netanyahu’s office, Mladenov is designated to lead the Peace Council, which is part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to address the situation in Gaza. The plan includes measures such as supervising a new Palestinian government, disarmament of Hamas, deployment of an international security force, and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Mladenov previously served as the UN Middle East peace envoy from 2015 to 2020, where he maintained good working relations with Israel and frequently worked to ease tensions between Israel and Hamas. He also held positions in Bulgaria’s defense and foreign ministries before being appointed as the UN envoy to Iraq.

Netanyahu met with Mladenov on Thursday, along with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, according to a spokesperson from Herzog’s office. The meeting took place ahead of Trump’s expected announcement of appointments to the proposed Board of Peace next week. Several countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, are reportedly expected to join the board.

The Gaza Health Ministry has reported that at least 425 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire on October 11, 2025.

Source: Al Jazeera