The body overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza will ask the United Nations Security Council to press Hamas to disarm, according to a report seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The report by the Board of Peace, an international body established by U.S. President Donald Trump to oversee the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, is expected to be discussed Thursday when the Security Council meets on the situation in the Middle East.
“At this stage, the principal obstacle to full implementation [of the ceasefire] remains Hamas’ refusal to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control, and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza,” the report said.
Hamas rejected the report, saying it contained “fallacies.”
A diplomat familiar with the report confirmed its authenticity to AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because it has not been made public.
Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls for Hamas to surrender its weapons and destroy its extensive tunnel network. It also envisions an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, the formation of a new technocratic Palestinian government, the deployment of an international security force and the reconstruction of the enclave after more than two years of war.
Board of Peace says ceasefire has stalled
Last week, Board of Peace head Nickolay Mladenov, a former UN Middle East envoy, acknowledged that the truce had stalled since taking effect in October, saying the deadlock over Hamas disarmament had paralyzed progress.
“Reconstruction cannot commence where weapons have not been laid down,” the board’s report to the Security Council said. “The critical variable, the single factor that unlocks every other element of the plan, is the conclusion of an agreement on the Roadmap for the full implementation of the plan that includes full decommissioning by Hamas and all armed groups in Gaza.”
Hamas, which led the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, has accused Israel of failing to meet its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire and has sought to link any demilitarization to Israeli troop withdrawals. According to AP, Israel’s military has expanded its control of Gaza since the truce took effect and now controls about 60% of the territory.
The new report calls on the Security Council to “reiterate publicly, clearly and consistently that the decommissioning of weapons in Gaza is not merely a requirement” of the UN resolution to end the war, but is critical for reconstruction, a timebound Israeli withdrawal and “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
The Security Council endorsed the Board of Peace in a resolution in November.
Hamas says report could derail ceasefire
Hamas said the report “contains a number of fallacies that absolve the occupying government of its responsibilities for the daily violations of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.”
The terror group said the report ignored what it called Israel’s failure to uphold most of its commitments under the ceasefire deal, including continued restrictions on crossings into Gaza and preventing the entry of materials and equipment needed to repair basic infrastructure and provide shelter for the displaced population.
“The report’s adoption of the occupation’s conditions regarding disarmament is a dubious attempt to muddy the waters and derail the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas said.
It called on the Security Council and Mladenov to compel Israel to fulfill its commitments under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, “foremost among them the cessation of the daily aggression against our Palestinian people in Gaza.”
Ceasefire marked by repeated violations
The report also noted near-daily ceasefire violations, “some of which are serious,” adding that their human consequences, including civilians killed, families living in fear and continued obstacles to humanitarian access, “cannot be minimized.”
Despite the ceasefire, Israel’s military continues to carry out airstrikes in Gaza and has pushed deeper into the territory, where AP reported it now controls more than it was granted under the ceasefire agreement. Living conditions remain dire, with most of Gaza’s 2 million residents living in tent camps without basic services.
Mladenov said last week that his office is addressing violations by both sides on a daily basis. But he repeatedly pointed to Hamas disarmament as the central sticking point, saying the group’s obligation to give up its arsenal is “not negotiable” and that progress on all other issues is being held up.