UN official leading Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan criticizes Israel's attacks

The official leading President Donald Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan, Nikolay Mladenov, criticized Israel on Wednesday for its ongoing attacks on Gaza, warning that the alternative to the U.S. proposal is the next war. Speaking to the U.N. Security Council, Mladenov insisted the 20-point plan has not stalled and "has moved from the negotiating table to the engineering table." He said Hamas has agreed to the key provision to disarm and turn Gaza over to civilian rule, but Israel's strikes since last October's ceasefire are still killing Palestinians, though fewer, and Gazans cannot feel the conflict is ending Source: AP News, NPR.

The reaction

Israel's deputy U.N. ambassador, Noa Furman, reiterated Israel's commitment to Trump's plan but stressed it cannot succeed while Hamas remains armed. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said concerns are being addressed and Hamas' disarmament will be judged on its actions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his forces won't withdraw until Hamas hands over all its weapons Source: AP News.

Kite dispute

Separately, Israel threatened to intensify operations and evacuate populations from areas where kites, drones, or balloons are launched. The military acknowledged the kites contained no explosives and were flown by children, yet Defence Minister Israel Katz warned "a kite is treated like a drone." The UN rights office called the threat of expulsion "outrageous." Hamas rejected the warning, calling the kites "basically children's toys from displacement camps" Source: BBC, Al Jazeera.

What's next

Mladenov warned that if war resumes, "there won't be a roadmap to return to or anything left on the ground to rebuild," calling it "a point of no return for everyone." He framed the choice as "A Gaza disarmed, rebuilt and reconnected to the world. Or a Gaza rearmed, divided and in rubble" Source: NPR. Meanwhile, more than 1,280 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza's health ministry Source: Al Jazeera.