Hamas-Mladenov Phase 2 Talks Postponed Over Hamas Weapons Surrender Demand

Negotiations scheduled this week at El-Alamein, Egypt between Palestinian armed groups (led by Hamas) and UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov — the chief mediator for Trump's Board of Peace — were postponed on June 3, 2026. Disarmament of militant groups remains the central sticking point: Mladenov made formally launching Phase 2 of Trump's Gaza reconstruction plan conditional on weapons surrender, including personal firearms. Hamas has flatly refused to disarm, calling any such precondition tantamount to unconditional surrender. Talks are expected to resume the following week only if mediators make progress on a compromise formula. The stalled Phase 2 process leaves Gaza reconstruction planning in legal and political limbo, with only 0.5% of the 42 million tons of rubble cleared, vast majority of pledged donor funds not yet disbursed, and 77% of Gaza's population still facing acute food insecurity according to the UN.