'Peace Council' report blames resistance for Trump's Gaza plan setback, Hamas responds

The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, presented the first periodic report of the 'Peace Council' tasked with monitoring the implementation of UN Resolution 2803. This report tracks the progress made in the peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The report, covering six months of diplomatic and field work, included direct accusations against Hamas and Palestinian resistance factions. The document considered the factions' refusal to lay down their arms as the biggest obstacle to transitioning to permanent civilian rule in the Strip.

Diplomatic sources confirmed that the report praised the resilience of the ceasefire despite daily violations described as serious. The Council commended the role of mediators in Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, in addition to the American leadership, in maintaining the fragile calm over the past months.

The report revealed the final completion of the Israeli hostage file, with the last living hostage recovered in October of last year. It also noted the Israeli side's receipt of the last remains of detainees in January 2026, completely closing this thorny file.

In contrast, the Israeli occupation authorities fulfilled their commitments by releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from their jails. The list included 250 prisoners with high sentences, in addition to about 1700 Palestinians who were arrested from Gaza after the events of October 7th.

The report presented a detailed 15-point roadmap agreed upon in previous meetings in Cairo. This roadmap aims to complete the implementation of the comprehensive peace plan under the supervision of High Representative Nikolay Mladenov and international mediators.

The plan stipulates the establishment of the 'National Chamber for the Transitional Authority' to be the sole legitimate body responsible for security and civilian governance. The proposal requires Hamas to permanently cease all military, administrative, or police activities within the borders of the Gaza Strip.

The report emphasized the principle of 'one authority, one law, and one weapon' as a fundamental rule for the next phase. It calls on all armed factions to refrain from direct or indirect interference in the administration of the Strip's public affairs to ensure the success of the transitional period.

The security commitments in the report include complete and verified disarmament and the dismantling of all military infrastructure. This step is to be followed by a phased arms disposal process agreed upon with the Israeli side and international parties.

The Peace Council proposed deploying an international stabilization force to act as a support barrier and secure humanitarian aid distribution operations. Occupation forces will gradually withdraw to the perimeter of the Strip, provided that international verification of tangible progress in the disarmament file is achieved.

On the economic front, the report announced the availability of international financial pledges totaling $17 billion allocated for reconstruction. These operations will begin under the authority of a specialized national committee in areas declared free of armed manifestations and military depots.

The report called on the UN Security Council to take firm measures to pressure Palestinian factions to accept the roadmap. It urged member states to use their influence to ensure unhindered access for the international arms monitoring body to all areas of Gaza.

For its part, Hamas quickly denied the report's contents, describing it as a suspicious attempt to confuse matters. The movement affirmed that the occupation is the real party obstructing the agreement by refusing the clauses related to its legal and humanitarian responsibilities towards the population.

The movement stressed that it does not cling to the administration of Gaza and has repeatedly expressed its readiness to hand over administrative tasks to a national committee. It considered that focusing solely on disarmament and ignoring the rights of the Palestinian people aims to impose occupation conditions under a UN cover.

The main obstacle to full implementation remains Hamas's refusal to accept documented disarmament, relinquish coercive control, and allow a genuine civilian transition in Gaza.