The Albany Gazette - Board of Peace report accuses Hamas of blocking Gaza progress

In its findings, the group, established by Trump in January to oversee the end of fighting in Gaza and its reconstruction following the deadly Israel-Hamas war, criticized repeated ceasefire violations.

"At this stage, the principal obstacle to full implementation remains Hamas' refusal to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control, and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza," said a copy of the report seen by AFP.

Nickolay Mladenov, the board's high representative for Gaza, will present the report to the UN Security Council Thursday.

"Institutions, resources and plans are in place to take the next steps," the report said. "The nature and sequencing of those next steps will be shaped by the decisions the parties make now."

Despite an October ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by daily violence as Israeli strikes continue, with both the military and Hamas accusing one another of violating the truce.

Ceasefire "violations continue to occur on a near daily basis, some of which are serious, and their human consequences -- civilians killed, families living in fear, and continued impediments to humanitarian access — cannot be minimized."

Trump's administration, along with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated the ceasefire to halt two years of devastating war in Gaza.

In January, Washington said it was moving into the second phase of the peace plan that calls for the disarmament of Hamas, whose unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the massive offensive.

It also calls for the gradual retreat of Israeli forces and the deployment of an international stabilizing force.

The first phase of the truce saw the release of the last hostages seized in October 2023, in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.

The transition to the second phase -- involving Hamas's disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army, which still controls more than 50 percent of the Gaza Strip -- has been stalled for weeks, while international attention has been focused on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.

The report added that decommissioning of Hamas weapons was "critical for reconstruction to begin, for a timebound Israeli forces withdrawal, and for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood to be pursued."

(M.Scott--TAG)