Mladenov says Gaza ceasefire stalls

Nickolay Mladenov said on May 13 that the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza had stalled on the issue at the center of the next phase: whether Hamas will disarm. The deadlock has held up reconstruction in the enclave and left the broader agreement only partially implemented, according to Mladenov and reporting from Reuters. Israeli attacks in Gaza have also increased in recent weeks, with conflict monitor ACLED reporting a 35% rise in April from March and Israeli officials telling Reuters the military believes Hamas is rebuilding its forces. ### Why did Mladenov say the ceasefire is stuck? Nickolay Mladenov, speaking at a Jerusalem news conference on May 13, said the phased agreement was “paralyzed” because Hamas had not disarmed and called that condition “not negotiable.” He said the lack of progress had blocked movement on other parts of the deal, including rebuilding Gaza after more than two years of war. (spectrumlocalnews.com) The second phase of the agreement envisions Hamas handing over its weapons, Israeli forces withdrawing, and reconstruction beginning in destroyed parts of Gaza, according to the Associated Press account carried by Spectrum and the Al Jazeera report. Mladenov said mediators saw those elements as linked, arguing that Israeli withdrawal to the perimeter required the “full element of the plan” to unfold. (spectrumlocalnews.com) ### What exactly did he say about Hamas? Mladenov said the demand from mediators was disarmament, not the elimination of Hamas as a political movement. “We are not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement,” he told reporters in Jerusalem, according to AP and Al Jazeera. That distinction matters because Israeli leaders have publicly said they want to destroy Hamas, while Mladenov said he could still envision a postwar political role for the group if it gave up its weapons. (spectrumlocalnews.com) AP reported that Hamas has resisted surrendering its arsenal and tied any demilitarization to Israeli troop pullbacks. ### What is happening on the ground while talks are stalled? ACLED said in a report published on May 13 that Israel carried out 35% more attacks in Gaza in April than in March. Reuters also reported that, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, 120 Palestinians, including eight women and 13 children, were killed in Gaza since the Iran war was paused on April 8 — 20% more than in the five weeks before that pause. (spectrumlocalnews.com) Four Israeli defense officials told Reuters that the military had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in recent weeks that Hamas was tightening its grip, rebuilding its forces and making weapons. Another Israeli military official told Reuters that the ceasefire still allowed Israel to act against imminent threats and that wider battle plans had been prepared, though no order had been given for a broader resumption of fighting. (usnews.com) ### How is Hamas responding? Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson, said Mladenov should identify Israel as the party violating the ceasefire and said pressure should be applied to Israel to implement the first phase and enter talks on the second. Al Jazeera reported that Qassem said Hamas had responded positively to mediator proposals and blamed Israel for blocking progress. (usnews.com) Mladenov, by contrast, said both sides had violated the ceasefire, though he said the arrangement had largely held and prevented a return to full-scale war. He also accused Hamas of consolidating power in areas it controls and trying to improve its position in negotiations. ### What remains unresolved now? (aljazeera.com) Israeli forces still control more than half of Gaza, according to AP and Reuters, and more than 2 million people are living in a narrow coastal area, largely in damaged buildings or makeshift tents. Those conditions have left the next steps tied to the same unresolved sequence: disarmament, troop withdrawal and reconstruction. (spectrumlocalnews.com) The next test is whether mediators can move the parties into the ceasefire’s second phase, which AP and Al Jazeera said is supposed to cover Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal and Gaza’s rebuilding. As of May 13, Mladenov said no significant progress had been made on that central question. (spectrumlocalnews.com)