NEW YORK: Hamas is “the principal obstacle” to moving to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, the Board of Peace initiative created by US President Donald Trump said in its first report to the UN Security Council.
In its findings, the group, established by Trump in January to oversee the end of fighting in Gaza and its reconstruction following the deadly Israel-Hamas war, criticised repeated ceasefire violations.
“At this stage, the principal obstacle to full implementation remains Hamas’ refusal to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control, and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza,” said a copy of the report seen by AFP.
Nickolay Mladenov, the board’s high representative for Gaza, will present the report to the UN Security Council Thursday.
“Institutions, resources and plans are in place to take the next steps,” the report said. “The nature and sequencing of those next steps will be shaped by the decisions the parties make now.”
Despite an October ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by daily violence as Israeli strikes continue, with both the military and Hamas accusing one another of violating the truce.
Ceasefire “violations continue to occur on a near daily basis, some of which are serious, and their human consequences – civilians killed, families living in fear, and continued impediments to humanitarian access – cannot be minimised.”
