Official leading Trump's Gaza ceasefire effort criticizes Israel for its attacks

Official leading Trump's Gaza ceasefire effort criticizes Israel for its attacks The official in charge of President Trump's ceasefire plan for Gaza criticized Israel for its attacks on the Palestinian territory and cautioned that the alternative to the U.S.

Key points

• Palestinians walk past a food-aid warehouse damaged in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a nearby house in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug.
• Ambassador, Noa Furman, reiterated to the Security Council his country's commitment to Trump's plan, but stressed that it can't succeed while Hamas remains armed.
• Ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz, remarked worries regarding Trump's plan are being addressed and Hamas' disarmament will be judged on its actions.
• Nikolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace high representative, insisted to the U.N.
• The militant group Hamas has agreed to the proposal's key provision to disarm and turn Gaza over to civilian rule, he remarked.

Palestinians walk past a food-aid warehouse damaged in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a nearby house in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP hide caption. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP.

UNITED NATIONS – The official in charge of President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan for Gaza criticized Israel on Wednesday for its attacks on the war-battered Palestinian territory and cautioned that the alternative to the U.S. Proposal is the next war.

Nikolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace high representative, insisted to the U.N. Security Council that Trump's 20-point plan has not stalled and "has moved from the negotiating table to the engineering table." Kushner optimistic regarding Gaza ceasefire plan after gathering with Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, the militant group Hamas has agreed to the proposal's key provision to disarm and turn Gaza over to civilian rule, he remarked. But Israel's ongoing strikes since last October's ceasefire are still killing Palestinians – though much fewer – and Gazans can't feel that the conflict is ending, he remarked.

"After three years of war and 20 years of military operations, I ask, will another strike on a munitions depot stop Hamas from rearming or tightening its grip on Gaza?" Mladenov remarked. "It will not. It only delays the demilitarization that would happen" and obstructs the transfer to a civilian administration.

In practice, a recent U.S. Accord with Hamas to disarm was seen as a potential breakthrough to end the war. It was sparked by the militant group's deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked his forces won't withdraw from their current lines in Gaza until Hamas has handed over all its weapons. Netanyahu rejects Trump's Gaza Peace Plan, demands Hamas disarm first.

According to Mladenov, at a gathering he took part in last week with Netanyahu and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and adviser, "we went through his government's concerns one by one and narrowed the areas that still require technical work."

Israel's deputy U.N. Ambassador, Noa Furman, reiterated to the Security Council his country's commitment to Trump's plan, but stressed that it can't succeed while Hamas remains armed. He remarked Israel is working closely with the U.S. To achieve Hamas' disarmament.

For context, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz, remarked worries regarding Trump's plan are being addressed and Hamas' disarmament will be judged on its actions.

Mladenov cautioned of the distance between the roadmap and what's happening on the ground, and stated if war resumes, there won't be a roadmap to return to or anything left on the ground to rebuild.

"That would not be a setback, " he remarked. "it would be a point of no return for everyone."

Mladenov stressed the need for political will to overcome the differences and remarked there is a choice to be produced: "A Gaza disarmed, rebuilt and reconnected to the world. Or a Gaza rearmed, divided and in rubble, with a radicalized generation raised inside it and the next war already on the horizon."

As for the Palestinians, Mladenov remarked, the Trump plan includes a "credible pathway to a political horizon" and a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict. Netanyahu vehemently opposes a Palestinian state.

NPR does not offer or accept funds for coverage or interviews. Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR.

Taken together, the developments around official leading Trump' s Gaza ceasefire effort criticizes Israel for its attacks point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.