Gaza Truce Failure Threatens 'Point of No Return,' US Board Envoy Warns UN

Palestinians walk past a food aid warehouse destroyed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a nearby house in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza on August 26, 2026.

The collapse of the Gaza ceasefire process would mark a "point of no return," the lead official for the enclave on United States President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has cautioned. Nickolay Mladenov, the board’s high representative for Gaza, delivered the warning on Wednesday during an address to the United Nations Security Council.

The statement followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public dismissal of the 15-point peace plan put forward by Washington to end the conflict in Gaza. Mladenov warned the council that a return to fighting would leave no roadmap, no administration to deploy, and nothing left on the ground to rebuild, describing it as a critical threshold for all involved.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 1,288 Palestinians have been killed and 4,290 wounded since a US-brokered ceasefire began in October. Total Palestinian casualties since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, have reached at least 73,422, following attacks by Hamas and other groups in southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead and 240 taken captive.

Hamas previously agreed on July 30 to the US roadmap designed to advance the ceasefire plan, which includes the decommissioning of weapons supervised by an International Stabilization Force led by US Major General Jasper Jeffers. While Hamas pledged to transfer its weapons to a new Palestinian governing body, Netanyahu immediately opposed the framework, later stating that Israel would maintain its forces until Hamas fully disarms.

The proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza would consist of independent Palestinian technocrats tasked with managing daily civil service and humanitarian relief. Mladenov noted to the UN that Hamas and the armed factions have agreed to surrender their weapons and transfer governing authority to a transitional administration recognized by the United Nations. However, he also highlighted ongoing risks, noting that Hamas must fully honor its commitment to cease all military activities, as remaining weapons, active tunnels, and obstructed convoys threaten to undermine the entire process.

Meanwhile, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, told the Security Council that Israeli annexations in the occupied West Bank, including recent bidding tenders for the E1 settlement project, are actively destroying prospects for regional peace and intentionally undermining the peace plan.