Trump's Gaza envoy warns Israeli strikes risk pushing region to point of no return

The official spearheading the Trump administration's ceasefire initiative for Gaza has publicly criticised Israel's ongoing military operations in the territory, warning that continued strikes could derail the entire peace process and trigger a new conflict.

Speaking at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative for the Board of Peace, insisted that the US-backed 20-point plan has not stalled. He said it has "moved from the negotiating table to the engineering table," signalling that implementation work is underway.

Mladenov noted that Hamas has agreed to the plan's central requirement to disarm and hand over governance of Gaza to a civilian administration. However, he said Israel's continued attacks, though less frequent than before, are preventing Palestinians from feeling that the war is truly ending.

"After three years of war and 20 years of military operations, I ask, will another strike on a munitions depot stop Hamas from rearming or tightening its grip on Gaza?" Mladenov asked. "It will not. It only delays the demilitarization that would happen."

He argued that such strikes obstruct the transition to a civilian government and undermine the demilitarisation process.

The recent US agreement with Hamas to disarm was seen as a potential breakthrough in ending the war, which began with the militant group's deadly attack on southern Israel in October 2023. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that his forces will not withdraw from their current positions until Hamas surrenders all its weapons.

Mladenov said he participated in a meeting last week with Netanyahu and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and adviser, where they worked through the Israeli government's concerns one by one. He said the areas requiring further technical work have been narrowed.

Israel's deputy UN ambassador, Noa Furman, reiterated Israel's commitment to the plan but stressed that it cannot succeed while Hamas remains armed. She said Israel is working closely with the US to achieve Hamas's disarmament.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said concerns about the plan are being addressed and that Hamas's disarmament will be judged on its actions.

Mladenov warned of the gap between the roadmap and the situation on the ground, cautioning that if war resumes, there would be no roadmap to return to and nothing left to rebuild. "That would not be a setback," he said. "It would be a point of no return for everyone."

He framed the situation as a clear choice: "A Gaza disarmed, rebuilt and reconnected to the world. Or a Gaza rearmed, divided and in rubble, with a radicalized generation raised inside it and the next war already on the horizon."

Mladenov also said the Trump plan offers Palestinians a "credible pathway to a political horizon" and a two-state solution, though Netanyahu has vehemently opposed the creation of a Palestinian state.