EXCLUSIVE | Mladenov confirms 'no gaps' between Israel and Board of Peace on Gaza roadmap

Nickolay Mladenov, Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza, confirmed in an exclusive interview with i24NEWS that while the current ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions is holding, it remains a fragile pause rather than a permanent resolution.

Mladenov stressed that the focus must now shift toward the "full implementation" of a comprehensive 20-point plan designed to overhaul the governance and security of the Gaza Strip.

Mladenov dismissed the idea of transitioning through separate phases, insisting that the 20-point plan is a single, integrated framework. The plan’s primary objectives include the removal of Hamas from power, the total decommissioning of weapons, and the de-radicalization of the territory.

"The plan contains 20 points that all need to be implemented," Mladenov stated. "Its main premise is that Gaza will not be governed by Hamas, that all weapons will be collected and put under the one single transitional Palestinian authority, that the Gaza Strip will be de-radicalized and it will no longer pose a threat to Israel."

The ultimate goal, according to Mladenov, is to reunite Gaza and the West Bank under a "newly reformed Palestinian authority," potentially reopening a path toward a political solution to the broader Palestinian question.

Following a "positive and substantive" meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mladenov said there is no "daylight" between the Board of Peace and the Israeli government regarding security challenges. 

He noted that Israel has made specific commitments under a humanitarian protocol to allow aid and goods into Gaza, which must be upheld.

The discussions also delved into operational details, including the deployment of an international stabilization force and the training of a future Palestinian police force. "We need to coordinate between the Board of Peace and Israel on a lot of the activities that need to take place in the areas that the IDF controls in Gaza in order to finalize the process of removing the remains of tunnels or weapons caches," Mladenov said.

A critical sticking point remains the enforcement of Hamas’s disarmament. Mladenov revealed that the Board of Peace, alongside guarantors such as the United States, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, is developing a verification mechanism to oversee the decommissioning of weapons, ranging from light arms to heavy infrastructure and tunnels.

"No donor, whether from the Gulf, from Europe, or anywhere else, is willing to put money, knowing that if the situation can very quickly deteriorate, and whatever they invest in can be destroyed," Mladenov warned. He emphasized that reconstruction is tethered to the transition of governance to a technocratic, apolitical National Committee.

When asked about a "Plan B" should Hamas reject these terms, Mladenov remained firm on the current roadmap. "What the premise of the plan is, and this is one thing that we will not budge from, is that there should be one transitional Palestinian authority that is technocratic, that is apolitical, controlling the Gaza Strip. There is one legal system and there is one control of weapons."

Mladenov clarified that the 20-point plan, originally proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump and later enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 2803, is now the official mandate of the international community.

"I wouldn’t call it Washington’s plan," he said. "It is now effectively the International Community’s Plan... Everybody comes to us to say, 'How can we support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803?'"

Addressing the broader geopolitical climate, Mladenov pushed back against suggestions that the peace process should be delayed due to tensions with Iran or instability in Lebanon. He argued that delays only fuel radicalization and desperation among the two million people living in Gaza.

"You can’t de-radicalize Gaza... without moving quickly," he said. "The more you delay it, the more people become desperate, angry, become susceptible to further radical ideologies."

While Mladenov intends to visit Gaza in the near future, he stated his priority is ensuring the National Committee is ready to take responsibility. He emphasized that the goal is not merely to rebuild what was destroyed, but to create a new system for trade and normal life.

"Gaza was no paradise before October 7," Mladenov concluded. "The simple goal of this is for people to have a normal life so that then you can allow for the political leaders on both sides to get back to the question of figuring out the long-term arrangements."