Board of Peace Publishes Formal Ultimatum: Hamas Must Disarm or Lose All Ceasefire Guarantees

The Trump-backed Board of Peace (BoP) formally published its position on May 6, 2026: Hamas must accept the five-stage disarmament roadmap 'or the Board of Peace will no longer hold Israel to its ceasefire commitments.' The ultimatum, confirmed by the Times of Israel and Hot Air, marked the first time the BoP had publicly linked its own mediation role to Hamas's compliance with disarmament as a precondition — a significant escalation of the diplomatic pressure. The statement was issued as High Representative Nickolay Mladenov briefed US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff by phone from Tel Aviv after his May 5 meeting with Netanyahu. The BoP's position aligned closely with the Netanyahu government's longstanding demand that Hamas disarmament must precede any further Israeli compliance with Phase 2 of the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian Authority's Foreign Ministry condemned the BoP ultimatum as 'one-sided and a betrayal of the ceasefire guarantors' role.' Egypt and Qatar — the two primary non-US mediators of the October 2025 ceasefire — issued a joint statement on May 6 warning that any formal collapse of the ceasefire framework would have 'catastrophic consequences for regional stability' and calling on all parties to recommit to the original ceasefire terms without preconditions.