UN Peace Council Chief Says Israeli Strikes Maintain Pre-October 7 Status Quo in Gaza

Nikolay Mladenov, the UN Peace Council's Secretary-General for Gaza, addressed the UN Security Council, accusing Israeli strikes in Gaza of preserving rather than changing the status quo that led to the events of October 7. He warned that any use of force not aimed at addressing an immediate threat exacts a heavy toll on the peace process. Mladenov highlighted that, for the first time, Hamas and its armed factions agreed to disarm and transfer authority to a UN-recognized transitional administration as part of a phased disarmament roadmap.

Meanwhile, officials from the Trump-established council sharply criticized the Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) operations, describing them as tactically insignificant and strategically damaging. They argued these actions perpetuate Hamas's rule by prompting the recruitment of hundreds of new young members for every militant eliminated. Contrastingly, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, during a Gaza visit, affirmed that the military will not revert to the situation before October 6 and remains committed to the overarching goal of demilitarizing Gaza and dismantling Hamas’s arsenal by all means.

Despite the ceasefire, reports indicate Hamas continues to consolidate power by recruiting thousands of new operatives, paying salaries to tens of thousands of government employees, and collecting approximately $100 million in taxes on goods entering Gaza since the truce began.