GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem criticized remarks by Nikolay Mladenov, representative of the “Board of Peace,” that the Gaza Strip remains far from beginning reconstruction, saying the comments amount to an abandonment of the role assigned to him within the council.
In a press statement issued on Monday, Qassem called on Mladenov to fulfill his role by pressuring Israel to abide by what had been agreed and to end its ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement.
He also urged Mladenov to work toward implementing the roadmap agreed upon by Palestinian factions and Mladenov and the US administration to end the war, accusing the Israeli government of refusing to implement it.
Mladenov, the “Board of Peace’s” high representative for Gaza, said during the third Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi that Gaza remains a long way from reaching the stage at which reconstruction can begin.
He said Palestinians in Gaza continue to live under extremely difficult humanitarian conditions and warned that continued Israeli military operations in the Strip would have severe humanitarian consequences.
Mladenov also said several countries had made commitments toward Gaza’s reconstruction and stressed the need to accelerate efforts to begin rebuilding the devastated enclave.
In an interview with Jordanian newspaper Al-Ghad in May, Mladenov called for moving forward with US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war, including the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian factions and the establishment of a civilian government to administer Gaza’s day-to-day affairs.
At the time, he described the Gaza ceasefire as fragile and called for an Israeli withdrawal from the Strip and the entry of construction materials needed for reconstruction, while noting that the funds raised for rebuilding Gaza remained insufficient.
Mladenov also said coordination with Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the United States was continuing in support of implementing the ceasefire plan.
The third Hili Forum opened on Sunday in Abu Dhabi and runs for two days under the theme, “The Gulf at a Crossroads: Conflict, Consequences and Course Correction.” The forum is jointly organized by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research and the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy.
