Board of Peace Gaza Envoy Meets Netanyahu as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's High Representative for Gaza, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 13, 2026, describing the session as a "positive and substantive discussion." ^[1][2] The meeting also included U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Board of Peace adviser Aryeh Lightstone, according to a photo distributed by the Prime Minister's Office. ^[2] A source familiar with the session, speaking to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, said U.S. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers attended and briefed Netanyahu directly. [POLITICO] Mladenov posted on social media afterward that all parties "reaffirmed our commitment to the full implementation of President Trump's 20-Point Comprehensive Plan." ^[3]

The Board of Peace is a U.S.-led international body formally established in January 2026 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where 19 countries signed its founding charter. ^[4][5] President Donald Trump holds the title of chairman and is named in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803 as the supervising authority for Gaza's post-war governance framework. ^[4] The board's mandate under the resolution covers three core functions: oversight of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, facilitation of Hamas disarmament, and authorization of a temporary International Stabilization Force. ^[4][5] Mladenov, a former Bulgarian defense and foreign minister who served as U.N. Middle East peace envoy from 2015 to 2020, was appointed High Representative in January 2026. ^[6]

The May 13 meeting followed a prior session on May 5 and came amid unresolved deadlock on disarmament. The board had given Hamas until April 11 to accept a framework for the phased handover of its weapons over an eight-month period. ^[7] Hamas largely declined the demands and instead submitted a counteroffer conditioning any disarmament discussion on guarantees that Israel's occupation would end. ^[7][8] Mladenov acknowledged at a press conference that the ceasefire, which entered into force Oct. 10, 2025, is "far from perfect" and that "there are violations every day, and some of them are very serious." ^[8] According to documents obtained by the Times of Israel, Mladenov and Lightstone have warned that Hamas's continued refusal to accept the disarmament framework could relieve Israel of its ceasefire obligations, including the requirement to allow humanitarian aid entry. ^[7] Aaron David Miller, who handled Middle East policy at the State Department under multiple administrations, told POLITICO the structural impasse is clear: Israel will not permit reconstruction without Hamas disarming, and Hamas will not disarm without commitments Israel's occupation ends, a dynamic Miller said is unlikely to shift in an Israeli election year. [POLITICO]

On the humanitarian front, conditions inside Gaza have continued to deteriorate since the October ceasefire. The Gaza Health Ministry reports the cumulative death toll since October 2023 has reached at least 72,744, including fatalities recorded after the ceasefire took effect. ^[9] Gaza health authorities have separately reported that Israeli forces have killed more than 800 people since the October ceasefire agreement was signed, though exact figures differ across sources. [POLITICO] Prior to the ceasefire, Israeli troops had withdrawn to a designated "Yellow Line" but retained control over more than 50% of the enclave's territory. ^[5] The ceasefire stipulated that full humanitarian aid would immediately enter the strip, but according to Gaza's Government Media Office, only 37% of allocated aid trucks entered Gaza in the first four months of the truce. ^[9]

Access restrictions have produced acute public health consequences on the ground. COGAT, the Israeli military body that coordinates civilian affairs in Gaza, confirmed to POLITICO that it has barred entry of prefabricated homes and heavy construction equipment. The agency said it permitted 1,000 rodent traps and 90 tons of pesticides "at the request of the UN and international organizations" in response to an infestation COGAT itself flagged. [POLITICO] COGAT also told POLITICO it has allowed over 650,000 family tents, tarps, and plastic sheeting into the strip. [POLITICO] Despite those figures, Bishara Bahbah, who served as an informal mediator between the U.S. and Hamas, told POLITICO that Palestinians are calling him to beg for tarps to build shelters. [POLITICO] UNRWA has separately noted that its international staff remain barred from entering Gaza, a restriction traceable to Knesset legislation passed in October 2024 that prohibited UNRWA operations in areas Israel considers sovereign territory. ^[10]

Financing for reconstruction has also fallen short of early commitments. At a session before the U.N. Security Council last week, Board of Peace executive board member and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair described what he characterized as "substantial progress," pointing to the formation of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the completion of a pre-deployment assessment mission for the International Stabilization Force. ^[2] However, according to POLITICO, Blair also solicited new financial contributions, a signal that pledges made at the board's February 2026 summit, where the United States committed $10 billion and nine other member states pledged a combined $7 billion, have not been fully disbursed. ^[4][POLITICO] The February summit produced commitments from Albania, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Morocco to contribute troops to a planned 20,000-soldier stabilization force, though Indonesia subsequently paused its engagement amid domestic pressure. ^[4]

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