Board of Peace Chief Heads to Israel as Gaza Roadmap Faces Major Hurdles

“Israel will not withdraw from its current line in the Gaza Strip and will continue to thwart any threat to our civilians and soldiers.”

By United with Israel Staff

Nikolay Mladenov, head of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, is expected to visit Israel this week for meetings with senior Israeli officials, according to a report Monday by Israel’s Kan News. The visit comes as negotiations continue over the second phase of the proposed postwar framework for Gaza and amid efforts to bridge significant gaps between Israel and Hamas over its implementation.

The trip follows Friday’s announcement of a reported 15-point Board of Peace roadmap, which calls for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, the dismantling of tunnels, weapons depots and weapons production facilities, and the transfer of civilian authority to a new Palestinian administrative body operating under the principle of “one authority, one law, and one weapon.” The framework also envisions an international stabilization force overseeing implementation, with Israeli withdrawals taking place in phases as Hamas fulfills its disarmament obligations.

Following Friday’s announcement, Mladenov said it had taken months of difficult negotiations to reach the agreement, cautioning that “what the agreement says matters. What happens next matters even more.” He stressed that implementation and verification must be genuine and that any Israeli withdrawal must move “in lockstep” with the decommissioning of Hamas’s weapons.

Despite the reported breakthrough, major disagreements remain. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad has insisted the terrorist organization will not begin surrendering its weapons until Israel fully withdraws from Gaza and fulfills its commitments under the agreement. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly insisted there will be no further Israeli withdrawal until Hamas is fully and verifiably disarmed, rejecting any arrangement that would merely place the group’s arsenal into storage rather than eliminate it.

The disagreement continued to play out on the battlefield over the weekend. The IDF maintained operations across Gaza, eliminating multiple terrorists in recent days while carrying out dozens of strikes throughout the Strip. Israeli security officials have emphasized that no new directives have been issued to halt military operations, stressing that the campaign will continue until all security threats are removed.

Underscoring Israel’s position, a senior Israeli political official said Monday afternoon that “Israel will not withdraw from its current line in the Gaza Strip and will continue to thwart any threat to our civilians and soldiers,” reinforcing Jerusalem’s insistence that any further territorial concessions remain contingent on Hamas’s complete disarmament.

Addressing the continued fighting, Mladenov acknowledged Sunday that two days of Israeli strikes had killed civilians and damaged critical medical supplies, just days after Palestinian factions agreed to the roadmap. He said his team was working “around the clock” with Israel, Palestinian representatives, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the United States, and other regional partners to de-escalate the fighting and create the conditions necessary to implement President Trump’s plan.

Two days of strikes across Gaza have killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on. This comes after intense efforts by the @BoardOfPeace and the mediators (Egypt, Turkiye, Qatar and the US) to bring the Palestinian factions in Gaza to agree to a Roadmap…

— Nickolay E. MLADENOV (@nmladenov) August 2, 2026

Mladenov also stressed that both Israel and the Palestinian parties have obligations under the comprehensive agreement, adding that while achieving lasting peace is difficult, it remains possible if all sides fulfill their commitments.

Mladenov’s meetings in Israel are expected to focus on advancing implementation of the proposed roadmap and narrowing the significant gaps that remain between Israel’s security demands and Hamas’ publicly stated conditions.