File Photo: Board member Nickolay Mladenov speaks. AP
Speaking at the BoP inaugural meeting in Washington DC, Mladenov said the planned security structure aims to place all weapons under a single civilian authority and dismantle armed factions, describing full demilitarization as a prerequisite for reconstruction.
He added that mediators, including Qatar and Turkey, had helped secure a framework for implementation, and called for unified international messaging to support the transition.
Nikolay Evtimov Mladenov is a Bulgarian politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Defense of Bulgaria from 2009 to 2010 and as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2013.
On Thursday, Mladenov stressed to the BoP inaugural meeting that the High Representative’s Office for Gaza under the Board of Peace would support the Palestinian technocratic committee in assuming civilian and administrative control of the Gaza Strip.
He said that his office would operate transparently under the BoP’s supervision and coordinate closely with Israel, Palestinian institutions, and the International Stabilization Force.
Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, the head of the newly-created International Stabilization Force, said the plans call for 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers for Gaza.
On Thursday, Ali Shaath, the head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), pledged in his speech to the BoP inaugural meeting to restore security and basic services under a new administrative framework.
Shaath said a new governing authority was operating in “extremely difficult conditions,” citing widespread destruction, acute humanitarian needs, and fragile law and order.
He outlined four immediate priorities: restoring security through a unified civilian police force, reviving economic activity and jobs, sustaining emergency relief, and reestablishing essential services, including electricity, water, healthcare, education, and freedom of movement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Shaath also said NCAG aims to train and deploy 5,000 police officers within 60 days and pursue a phased approach to rebuilding governance and stability.
He appealed for continued international backing, describing the effort as a step-by-step process to lay foundations for “lasting peace, dignity and prosperity” for Gaza’s population.
Since the start of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, Hamas police personnel have attempted to restore a semblance of security in the strip in the face of marauding armed gangs, which are backed by the Israeli occupation forces.
Egypt and Jordan started training the new Gaza police forces months ago.
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