BRUSSELS, April 20 (Reuters) – The Peace Council’s top envoy for Gaza told Reuters on Monday he was ‘quite optimistic’ that a plan to disarm Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza could be agreed, but warned that this would still take time.
“We have had some very serious discussions with Hamas in recent weeks, and they are not easy,” Nickolay Mladenov said in an interview during a visit to Brussels.
“I’m quite optimistic that we will be able to reach a deal that works for all sides and, more importantly, that works for the people of Gaza,” he said.
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US President Donald Trump proposed the Peace Council in September to oversee his plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza, later saying it would address other conflicts.
The UN Security Council recognized the council, which is chaired by Trump, although 🏽 major powers have not joined.
Trump’s plan for Gaza, which Israel and Hamas agreed to in October, calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the beginning of reconstruction as Hamas gives up its weapons.
But Hamas’ disarmament is a sticking point in negotiations to implement the plan and consolidate the October ceasefire that halted two years of all-out war. Violence has continued in the Palestinian territory, much of which remains in ruins.
RISK OF LOSS OF MOMENTUM
Mladenov said work was underway on an implementation plan that would include disarmament, new governance in Gaza and provisions for an Israeli withdrawal.
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“Obviously, this will take time, but we are trying to ensure that arrangements for implementing the plan are agreed as quickly as possible,” said Mladenov, a former UN Middle East envoy and Bulgarian politician.
Asked when it would be possible to reach an agreement on implementation, Mladenov said: ‘We have a matter of days, maximum two weeks, that’s my assessment, because otherwise we will lose the momentum of what we have and then every decision will become even more difficult.’
Although he declined to comment on the details of the ongoing negotiations, the envoy said he believed there was ‘a good way forward that is being discussed with both sides’.
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One of the issues under discussion is the ‘yellow line’ that demarcates the territory that Israel has occupied since the October ceasefire, Mladenov said. Reuters reported that Israel has moved the ‘yellow line’ deeper into Gaza.
“There are a whole set of issues that need to be addressed on the ground, including the yellow line,” Mladenov said, adding that issues such as access to aid and medicines are also being discussed with Israel.
NEED TO ENSURE CONFIDENCE IN THE PASSAGE OF RAFAH
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He also pointed out some changes on the ground.
‘We have managed, in recent days, to gradually and very carefully increase the number of people who are allowed to cross the Rafah crossing. We are looking to increase the number of freight trucks entering Gaza,’ he said. The Rafah crossing connects Gaza to Egypt.
It is also necessary to build trust, Mladenov said.
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“It’s a very complicated process,” he said. ‘But it is a process that is taking many small steps to ultimately lead us to agreement on the full implementation of the plan.’
In February, Trump said that US allies have contributed more than $7 billion to relief efforts in Gaza and that the US will contribute $10 billion to the Peace Council. Reuters reported that the Peace Council received only a fraction of what was promised.
‘All the funds that were committed in Washington are there for the Peace Council,’ Mladenov said. ‘We do not have any financial problems related to the Council’s work’.
Member States can become permanent members of the Council by paying US$1 billion.
