Mladenov rebukes Hamas for refusing to disarm, blocking Gaza reconstruction

Addressing Hamas's demand that Israel fully comply with the ceasefire before discussing disarmament and governance handover, the Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, said, "This is not a question of sequencing. It is a fundamental principle of the Comprehensive Plan and Resolution 2803."

He added that disarmament "sits alongside the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the development of the International Stabilization Force, and the transitional governance that the NCAG of Gaza can implement."

He made the comments during a European Commission meeting of the Palestine Donor Group in Brussels. It is co-chaired by the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica, and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, with some 65 delegations in attendance. Suica used the meeting to launch the Team Gaza Initiative, bringing together 883.6 million euros in financial contributions from countries such as Spain, Denmark, the UK, Germany, Norway, Finland, and Japan.

Mladenov said the 15-point roadmap currently under negotiation "offers amnesty. It offers reintegration and safe passage in exchange. It also delivers a phased Israeli withdrawal and large-scale reconstruction financing." However, according to the High Representative, Hamas "has yet to accept this Roadmap, and every week without agreement is paid for by the population of Gaza, not by those refusing to agree to it."

A diplomatic source involved with the Board of Peace initiative told i24NEWS that Hamas's recent announcement suggesting it is prepared to step aside from governing Gaza "means nothing," saying the group is trying to preserve its military power while shifting responsibility for governing Gaza onto others.