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Tel Aviv, Israel, August 10: US-backed Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov has sought to address scepticism in Israel over the board’s proposed roadmap for disarming Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
According to The Times of Israel, Mladenov said in an interview with Channel 12 that fully implementing the proposed plan could provide Israel with a key guarantee against a repeat of the October 7, 2023, attack. He stressed that the framework would depend on verifiable steps rather than relying on trust in Hamas.
Gaza Disarmament Plan Focuses on Israeli Security
The proposed Gaza disarmament plan aims to prevent Gaza from becoming a security threat to Israel and to ensure that an attack similar to the October 7, 2023, assault does not happen again.
Mladenov said the roadmap is designed around concrete and verifiable actions. He argued that the implementation process would require actual progress on the ground before major changes in the security situation take place.
The October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel triggered the ongoing conflict in Gaza and became a central factor in subsequent discussions over security, disarmament and governance in the territory.
Verification Required Before Israeli Withdrawal
Mladenov stressed that Israel would not be expected to take strategic steps before the agreed measures had been independently verified.
Under the proposed framework, the decommissioning of weapons would need to be confirmed before Israel makes corresponding military withdrawals.
He said that weapons would need to be taken away from armed factions, stored and ultimately rendered unusable.
According to Mladenov, once such steps are verified, Israel would then be able to withdraw from Gaza under the framework.
The emphasis on verification is intended to address concerns within Israel about whether Hamas and other armed factions would actually comply with disarmament commitments.
Israel Would Retain Right to Respond to Immediate Threats
Mladenov also sought to reassure Israel that the proposed Gaza disarmament plan would not prevent Israeli forces from responding to an immediate security threat.
He said the framework would preserve Israel’s ability to act if a threat was imminent and posed a danger to Israeli troops.
The assurance comes amid concerns over whether an agreement requiring Israeli military withdrawals could restrict Israel’s ability to respond to emerging threats.
Mladenov’s comments suggest that the proposed framework is intended to combine phased security measures with continued Israeli authority to respond to urgent threats.
Tunnel Network Could Take Years to Eliminate
Another major challenge concerns the extensive tunnel network beneath Gaza.
Mladenov said that eliminating the network under normal circumstances could take more than a decade. However, he argued that cooperation through the Board of Peace could potentially make the process faster and more effective.
The issue of tunnels remains particularly significant in discussions about Gaza’s security because of their strategic and military importance during the conflict.
The proposed approach would therefore require extensive coordination and verification before the disarmament process could be considered complete.
Netanyahu Rejects 15-Point Gaza Peace Plan
Mladenov’s comments came only hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected US President Donald Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace plan.
Netanyahu said Israel rejected the 15-point document and maintained that Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas was “genuinely” disarmed.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the Israeli military would continue to prevent threats against Israeli troops and citizens.
His position reflects significant differences between the Israeli government’s current stance and the proposed framework being promoted by the Board of Peace.
Political Pressure Builds on Netanyahu
Netanyahu is also facing pressure from far-right coalition partners who have called for another cabinet vote to abandon the peace plan.
At the same time, Netanyahu said Israel remained engaged in discussions with Washington regarding the proposal.
He indicated that some of the ideas being discussed could be acceptable to Israel, while others would not be accepted.
The political debate comes as the Israeli government faces competing demands over security, military operations and negotiations concerning the future of Gaza.
Trump’s Gaza Framework Proposes Phased Transition
The 15-point framework backed by US President Donald Trump proposes a phased strategy aimed at ending the Gaza conflict.
The framework includes provisions focused on disarming armed factions, withdrawing Israeli forces and transitioning governance in Gaza to a Palestinian technocratic body.
The proposed body is known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
The framework therefore seeks to address not only military issues but also the future administration and governance of the Gaza Strip.
Board of Peace Faces Major Security Challenge
The proposed Gaza disarmament plan faces a complex security environment, particularly over the question of whether Hamas and other armed groups can be effectively disarmed.
Mladenov’s emphasis on verification appears intended to address concerns that commitments could be made without corresponding action on the ground.
The proposal also attempts to establish a sequence in which weapons are removed and rendered unusable before significant Israeli military withdrawals take place.
However, the differences between the Board of Peace’s approach and Netanyahu’s position indicate that major challenges remain before an agreement can be implemented.
What Happens Next?
The future of the proposed Gaza disarmament plan will depend on negotiations between the relevant parties and the ability to establish mechanisms for verifying compliance.
Israel’s insistence that Hamas must be genuinely disarmed before a withdrawal presents a major condition for any future agreement.
Meanwhile, the US-backed framework continues to promote a phased approach involving disarmament, Israeli withdrawal and a new governance structure for Gaza.
The coming negotiations are likely to focus on how disarmament would be verified, who would oversee the process and how Israel’s security concerns would be addressed.
For now, Mladenov’s comments represent an attempt to reassure Israel that the proposed framework would rely on concrete actions rather than assurances alone.
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