Nickolay Mladenov, the senior Gaza representative on the Peace Council established by US President Donald Trump, warned the UN Security Council on Wednesday (August 20) that the collapse of the ceasefire process in Gaza would be a “point of no return.”
The warning came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the US 15-point peace plan, which Washington described as aimed at ending Israel's war in Gaza.
Mladenov told the Security Council: “A resumption of fighting in Gaza would mean no way back, no authority to implement, and nothing left on the ground to rebuild. That is not a setback. That would be a point of no return for everyone.”
Gaza’s health ministry said at least 1,288 Palestinians had been killed and 4,290 wounded since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect in October 2025. In total, at least 73,422 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. Israel began its military operation in Gaza the same day.
On July 30, Hamas agreed to a US roadmap to advance the ceasefire process. Under the plan, disarmament would be overseen by the International Stabilization Force, a new unit led by US Major General Jasper Jeffers, to be deployed to Gaza once conditions calm. Hamas committed to handing over weapons to a new Palestinian governing body—a framework Netanyahu immediately rejected, though Trump hailed the plan as a breakthrough. Earlier this month, Netanyahu declared that Israel would not withdraw any forces until Hamas fully disarms.
The soon-to-be-established National Committee for Gaza Governance will consist of independent Palestinian technocrats responsible for daily civil affairs and humanitarian relief. Mladenov said: “For the first time, Hamas and Gaza’s armed factions have agreed to hand over weapons and transfer all governing authority—both civil and security—to a UN-recognized transitional administration.”
However, he also acknowledged “a second risk to the ceasefire comes from the opposite direction. Hamas has committed to ending all military activity. That commitment has not been fully implemented.” He stressed that “every gun carried, every tunnel still being dug, and every aid convoy blocked sets the process back and gives those who want to resume war a reason.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour told the Security Council that Israel’s annexation of Palestinian land is killing prospects for regional peace. He accused the Israeli government of deliberately undermining the 15-point peace plan, after Israel recently announced tenders for the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
