Board of Peace Envoy Meets Netanyahu, Urges Halt to Gaza Strikes
Nikolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, August 3, 2026, to discuss the ongoing disarmament agreement with Hamas, according to an official statement.
The Board of Peace described the talks as “constructive and detailed.” Its statement emphasised that the objective remains “the complete decommissioning of weapons in the Strip and the transition away from rule by the gun to civilian governance.”
Two people familiar with the meeting said Mr. Mladenov also pressed Mr. Netanyahu to halt Israeli strikes in Gaza. Mr. Mladenov and his team, including senior adviser Aryeh Lightstone, have been urging Israel to stop its military operations as they work to implement the agreement to decommission weapons held by Hamas.
In a statement issued the same day, Hamas said it and other Palestinian factions “remain committed to what was agreed regarding the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, including all parties' obligations.” The group added that it awaits “a clear and official response” from Mr. Mladenov and the mediators.
The disarmament agreement was announced by former U.S. President Donald Trump on July 30, 2026, as part of a broader ceasefire deal reached the previous year. It calls for Israel to cease military operations and for Hamas and its allies to halt all militant activity. The agreement also outlined, in general terms, the process for decommissioning weapons.
Israel responded to the announcement by expressing “serious security concerns” and said it had shared those concerns with the United States. Subsequently, Israeli strikes in Gaza intensified, with local health officials reporting 17 people killed overnight from Saturday into Sunday. No airstrikes were recorded on Monday.
According to local officials, Israeli attacks have killed 1,250 people since the ceasefire deal was reached in October. That agreement ended major combat in a war that had lasted two years.
Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, which have served as mediators in the Gaza truce negotiations, issued a joint statement on Monday denouncing the continued Israeli strikes. They said the “specific targeting of healthcare facilities, medical infrastructure, and resulting civilian casualties constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.” The mediators also called on the international community to pressure Israel to fulfil its commitments.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's subsequent military offensive in Gaza has killed 73,375 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. That figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but is considered generally reliable by the United Nations and other international organisations.
