Hamas has rejected a plan to disarm a senior figure in President Donald Trump's efforts for peace in Gaza, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations has told the BBC.
He accused Nickolay Mladenov, the senior representative for Gaza on the US-led Peace Board, of bias against Israel, the Telegraph reports.
Last month, Mladenov outlined a framework for the demilitarization of Gaza as part of the second phase of the ceasefire deal agreed to by Hamas and Israel in October.
The official said Hamas told regional mediators that it would not engage in talks for the second phase until Israel fully implemented the conditions of the first phase.
Israel has said it will not move forward without progress in disarming Hamas.
A Hamas delegation in Cairo was to meet with Egypt's intelligence chief on Tuesday before departing.
The first phase of Trump's peace plan halted the war, returned all Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and saw Israeli forces partially withdraw from Gaza.
In mid-January, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced the start of the second phase of Trump's plan to end the war, but there has been a stalemate between Israel and Hamas since then.
The second phase aims to lead to a permanent end to the war following the demilitarization of Gaza and a complete Israeli withdrawal.
Last month, Mladenov presented a detailed plan for Palestinian armed groups in Gaza to dismantle their weapons - linking compliance to the start of reconstruction after Israel's military campaign that devastated the territory.
It was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage in Gaza.
More than 72,330 people have been killed by Israeli military action in Gaza since then - including 757 since the ceasefire began on October 10, 2025 - according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC: "We are expecting Mladenov to provide a clear timetable for Israel to meet the remaining obligations of the first phase, along with guarantees to stop Israeli violations, before any discussions on the second phase can begin."
He added that Palestinian factions considered the arms issue linked to a comprehensive solution that guaranteed the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, rather than partial agreements.
He noted that Mladenov believed that Israel was unlikely to accept the creation of an independent Palestinian state. /Telegraph
