Gaza Ceasefire Stalls 7 Months In, Israel Expands Control

Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for the U.S.-backed Board of Peace overseeing the Gaza ceasefire, stated in Jerusalem this week that efforts to implement the agreement have made little progress seven months after it took hold last October. The truce, aimed at ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas, has stalled on core elements including the demilitarization of Gaza and reconstruction of the devastated enclave.

Mladenov, a former U.N. diplomat and Bulgarian government minister appointed last year to supervise postwar plans, highlighted the lack of advancement during his visit. The phased agreement required Hamas and other militant groups to surrender weapons, Israeli forces to withdraw fully, and international aid to flow for rebuilding. Instead, both sides have accused each other of violations. Aid organizations report that Israel has permitted far fewer trucks than the promised 600 per day, with averages below 300. Hamas has not disarmed and retains control over roughly half of the 365-square-kilometer strip.

In response to Hamas's failure to meet disarmament deadlines, the Board of Peace approved Israel's recent expansion of military control. Israeli...