Jerusalem —
A prolonged stalemate in Gaza risks cementing the territory’s permanent division, a top international official overseeing the ceasefire has warned, as Israel deepens its control over the enclave.
Nikolay Mladenov, the official in charge of implementing the US-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza, said failure to advance the agreement would lead to “a dangerous status quo” that would leave two million Palestinians in Gaza without a viable future while entrenching Israel’s long-term presence across more than half of the shattered territory.
“A status quo should not be an option to anyone,” said Mladenov, who serves as the director-general of the Gaza Board of Peace (BoP), at a press briefing in Jerusalem on Wednesday, his first since taking office in January. “The longer we don’t address the future, the more we stabilize the status quo, and that status quo becomes more difficult to remove,” Mladenov said after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The warning underscores the deteriorating situation in Gaza. With the world’s attention fixed on the war in Iran, Israel is expanding its control over the enclave and killing hundreds more Palestinians while Hamas refuses to disarm as required by the ceasefire agreement. Israeli officials warn that Hamas is actively rebuilding its military and civilian capabilities and tightening its control over Gaza.
