Israel must implement its commitments under the Gaza peace roadmap for the process to move forward, Nickolay Mladenov, high representative for Gaza at the Board of Peace, said on Monday.
Speaking at the third Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi, Mladenov said progress had been made over the past year but the situation remained far from what was needed for a political solution.
He said discussions were continuing with Israel on implementing its commitments, including an agreed withdrawal, in parallel with Hamas disarmament and reconstruction in Gaza.
“We’re not there yet,” Mladenov said, stressing that the lives of people in Gaza needed to change significantly.
He said negotiations with Hamas over disarmament had continued for seven months, describing them as “very intense, very difficult discussions”, while praising mediation efforts by Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar and support from the UAE and other regional countries.
The road ahead Gaza
Mladenov said Gaza’s people continued to live in “terrible conditions” and could not face another winter under the current circumstances.
He said the most “reasonable” option for addressing the situation is to implement the Board of Peace roadmap.
Mladenov warned that failure to advance the roadmap could make a two-state solution “practically impossible”, stressing the need for transitional governance, weapons decommissioning and Israeli withdrawal.
Asked whether a new Israeli government could reject commitments made by the current government after October’s elections, Mladenov said election campaigns could bring political posturing but argued that both Israelis and Palestinians needed a longer-term path towards coexistence.
The Board of Peace was established in January as part of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan and is tasked with overseeing the enclave’s transition, including governance, security and reconstruction.
Its July 31 roadmap calls for Hamas disarmament, a phased Israeli withdrawal, the transfer of administration to a Palestinian technocratic committee, deployment of an international stabilisation force and reconstruction.
