From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Meeting PM, Gaza Board of Peace envoy says truce holding but ‘far from perfect,’ Hamas can remain as political party
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with the Board of Peace point man for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, who is visiting Israel again after holding a meeting with the premier last week.
Mladenov described the last meeting as “positive and substantive,” with both sides reaffirming their commitment to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for postwar Gaza, amid ongoing disarmament talks with Hamas. Currently, the enclave’s territory is roughly split between Israeli and Hamas control.
The Board of Peace, tasked with overseeing the management of postwar Gaza, gave Hamas until April 11 to accept its proposal for it to gradually hand over all of its arms, but Hamas has largely refused the demands.
Instead, the terror group submitted a counteroffer to the Board of Peace, insisting that the issue of its weapons only be addressed as part of a framework culminating in the establishment of a Palestinian state, a prospect that is a nonstarter for the Israeli government.
Mladenov says Hamas is not being asked to “disappear as a political movement” but must disarm. He also says clearing the rubble from Gaza will take “a generation of work.”
“We have a ceasefire. It is holding. It is not perfect. It is far from perfect. There are violations every day, and some of them are very serious,” says Mladenov during a press conference.
He adds, “We are asking the political leadership of those who govern Gaza now to step aside. This is required by the Security Council resolution in the 20-point plan.”
“We are not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement,” he says during the meeting. “A political party that disavows armed activity can compete in national Palestinian elections. What is not negotiable, however, is that armed factions or militias… can exist alongside a transitional Palestinian authority.”
He also criticizes Hamas for consolidating power in parts of Gaza under its control, saying it hopes “to squeeze better terms of a negotiation.”
The Times of Israel Community.