Gaza ceasefire stalls, attacks rise 35%

Nickolay Mladenov said on May 13 that the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire had stalled over Hamas’s refusal to disarm, blocking the next phase of reconstruction, Israeli troop withdrawals and plans for a new Palestinian administration. The envoy, speaking in Jerusalem after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said disarmament was “not negotiable” under the framework backed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s International Board of Peace. Separate data published the same day by ACLED showed Israeli attacks in Gaza rose 35% in April from March. Reuters also reported, citing Israeli defense officials, that the military has drawn up wider battle plans for a possible resumption of fighting if conditions change. ### Why did the ceasefire stop moving? Mladenov said the deadlock centers on Hamas’s weapons. He told reporters in Jerusalem that progress on reconstruction, Israeli withdrawals and governance had been held up because Hamas had not accepted disarmament, which he said was required under the next phase of the October ceasefire framework. (pbs.org) The phased plan calls for Hamas to hand over its arsenal, Israeli forces to pull back, a technocratic Palestinian government to take shape and rebuilding to begin across the enclave, according to the Associated Press report carried by PBS. Mladenov said his office was addressing violations by both sides on a daily basis and described the truce as holding but “far from perfect.” (pbs.org) ### What did Mladenov say about Hamas’s future role? Mladenov said Hamas was not being asked to vanish as a political movement. He said a group that gives up armed activity could still compete in Palestinian politics, but armed factions could not operate alongside a transitional Palestinian authority. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem rejected Mladenov’s framing and said pressure should instead be placed on Israel to implement the first phase and enter talks on the second. (pbs.org) Al Jazeera, citing Hamas, said the group linked demilitarization to a broader political framework that would include Israeli pullbacks. ### What does the 35% figure measure? (timesofisrael.com) ACLED said in a monthly report for April that Israel carried out 35% more attacks in Gaza than in March. Reuters, citing Gaza Health Ministry figures, said 120 Palestinians, including eight women and 13 children, were killed in Gaza in the five weeks after the Iran war was paused on April 8, which it said was 20% more than in the prior five-week period. (aljazeera.com) Al Jazeera separately reported that Israeli forces had killed more than 850 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, while Israel still controls more than half of Gaza. PBS said nearly all of Gaza’s 2 million residents have been displaced and many remain in tent camps with limited basic services. (usnews.com) ### What are Israeli officials saying now? Netanyahu met Mladenov in Jerusalem on May 13, according to the prime minister’s office account reported by Times of Israel. The meeting followed an earlier session on May 5 and came as Israeli officials pressed the demand that Hamas disarm before the next stage can proceed. Reuters reported that four Israeli defense officials said Hamas had been tightening its grip, rebuilding forces and making weapons in recent weeks. (aljazeera.com) A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the ceasefire still allowed Israel to act against imminent threats and that broader battle plans had been prepared, though no order had been given. (timesofisrael.com) ### What happens next in the ceasefire plan? The next step in the framework remains the unresolved transition to phase two. PBS said that stage is supposed to pair Hamas disarmament with Israeli withdrawal to the perimeter, the formation of a new Palestinian government and the start of large-scale reconstruction. Mladenov said on May 13 that his office was still monitoring daily violations and pressing both sides to implement the agreed terms. (usnews.com) Any movement from here runs through the same talks in Jerusalem and the same sticking point he identified publicly on Wednesday: whether Hamas will give up its weapons under the U.S.-brokered plan. (pbs.org)