GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Hamas Movement has accused Nikolay Mladenov, executive director of the Peace Council, of contributing to the escalating crisis in the Gaza Strip, calling on him to stop incitement against Gaza and the Movement and to adhere to the agreed framework for ending the war without introducing new complications.
In a recorded statement, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the Movement is engaged in intensive contacts and in-depth discussions with relevant parties in an effort to contain the escalating tensions and halt the “dangerous aggression” against Gaza’s population.
Qassem said Hamas is working on all fronts to ensure the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, particularly Israel’s obligations under the first phase of the deal, stressing that any failure to meet those commitments further fuels tensions in Gaza.
He also directly blamed Mladenov for the escalation, accusing him of presenting “misleading briefings” during UN Security Council sessions and of inciting against Gaza and Hamas during various meetings.
The Hamas spokesperson urged the international official to commit to the plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza, warning that introducing additional complications would provide Israel with further justification to continue its military escalation.
Meanwhile, Egypt invited a Hamas negotiating delegation led by Khalil Al-Hayya to Cairo to continue talks on moving to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
An Egyptian source familiar with Cairo’s mediation efforts between Hamas and representatives of the Peace Council told Al Jazeera that intensive contacts are underway to arrange negotiations before the end of the week in an attempt to prevent the agreement from collapsing following recent Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Days earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he had instructed the military to take control of 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, a move that contradicts US President Donald Trump’s publicly announced peace plan.
Israeli forces have continued violating the ceasefire agreement since it took effect on October 10, 2025. According to Gaza health authorities, those violations have killed 930 Palestinians and injured 2,819 others, bringing the overall death toll since October 2023 to 72,939 killed and 172,927 wounded.
