Netanyahu meets Gaza peace envoy over Hamas disarmament deal

The Board of Peace official overseeing Gaza's postwar transition met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss a newly negotiated disarmament agreement with Hamas and broader efforts to advance the enclave's postwar governance.

Nikolay Mladenov, the board's high representative for Gaza, held what the Board of Peace described as "constructive and detailed" talks with Netanyahu and his team.

"The goal is clear and is not in question: the complete decommissioning of weapons in the Strip and the transition away from rule by the gun to civilian governance," the board said in a statement.

According to two people familiar with the meeting, Mladenov also urged Netanyahu to halt Israeli military strikes in Gaza. Mladenov and his team, including senior adviser Aryeh Lightstone, have been pressing Israel to suspend attacks as efforts continue to implement the agreement to dismantle Hamas's weapons.

In a statement, Hamas said it and other Palestinian factions remained committed to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, including all obligations undertaken by the parties.

The group said it was awaiting "a clear and official response" from Mladenov and the mediators regarding the implementation of the agreement.

Separately, members of the Board of Peace met congressional staff in Washington on Monday to brief them on ongoing efforts and discuss cooperation with Congress to advance peace, security, governance and reconstruction in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump announced the agreement on Thursday as part of a broader ceasefire deal reached last year. The arrangement calls for Israel to halt military operations while Hamas and allied groups cease militant activities, and outlines the framework for the gradual decommissioning of Hamas's weapons.

After the agreement was released, Israel said it had "serious security concerns" and had shared them with the United States. It also intensified strikes in Gaza, with local health officials reporting that 17 people were killed overnight between Saturday and Sunday. No Israeli airstrikes were reported on Monday.

According to Gaza health authorities, Israeli attacks have killed about 1,250 people since the October ceasefire agreement, which ended two years of major fighting in the Israel-Hamas war.

Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, the mediators of the Gaza truce, condemned the latest Israeli strikes in a joint statement on Monday. They said attacks on healthcare facilities and medical infrastructure, and the resulting civilian casualties, constituted a "flagrant violation" of international law and international humanitarian law.

The three countries also urged the international community to pressure Israel to fulfil its commitments under the ceasefire agreement.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has since killed 73,375 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its casualty figures, though they are regarded as generally reliable by the United Nations and other international organisations.