Gaza Peace Council CEO: Hamas Will Get No Funds and No Role in Governing

Nikolay Mladenov, CEO of the Gaza Peace Council, issued his first statement in Hebrew today (Wednesday), addressing a series of claims surrounding the "day after" plan for the Gaza Strip. In his post, he unequivocally denied reports of a financial agreement between the Peace Council and Hamas.

Mladenov wrote: "The claims of a financial agreement between the Peace Council and Hamas are false," adding that "such an arrangement was not discussed, was not considered, and will not be on the table in the future either."

Mladenov also said that any future financial arrangement would be subject to reviews, approvals, and oversight. He stressed that Hamas will not be part of the future civilian government of the Gaza Strip, and that the roadmap being advanced by the Peace Council is intended to lead to an entirely different model for governing the territory.

Later in the post, Mladenov confirmed that a dedicated mechanism has been established to monitor violations of the agreement: "In recent days, a mechanism for monitoring violations has begun operating. Every verified violation will be addressed." The mechanism is intended to continuously assess whether either side is violating the terms of the agreement, after the IDF identified that Hamas continues to violate the ceasefire. Reports from the field are being passed on to the Peace Council, which is expected to review each incident under the new oversight mechanism.

Officials in the Peace Council told N12 that the mechanism is not intended to restrict Israel in cases of violations by Hamas. According to them, if the organization does not meet its commitments, the council will not prevent Israel from acting: "We hope Hamas will meet its commitments, but we are not naive either—no one will stand in Israel's way if Hamas violates the agreement and attempts to rebuild its strength or return to military activity." They added: "We are asking to give the demilitarization process a chance—not immunity for terrorist activity."

Mladenov also addressed concerns in Israel about taking irreversible steps at an early stage of the process: "Israel is not required to rely on trust or take irreversible steps before verified steps are taken on the ground." According to him, the plan's central goal remains "the complete dismantling of weapons and ensuring that Gaza never again becomes the kind of threat Israel experienced on October 7."

In closing, Mladenov presented the framework being advanced by the Peace Council as an alternative to two options he described as undesirable: continued Hamas rule and the rebuilding of its military power, or Israel's return to full control over the population of the Gaza Strip. The alternative offered by the council, he said, is based on "full demilitarization, civilian governance, an international security presence under American command, and oversight and verification mechanisms."