Board of Peace Gaza envoy warns of ‘point of no return’ as strikes continue

The Board of Peace’s special Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov has delivered a blunt warning to both Israeli forces and Hamas, saying the ongoing military strikes and militant actions risk pushing the region past what he called a “point of no return” — the collapse of last October’s fragile ceasefire agreement.

Mladenov condemns strikes on both sides

Speaking from Cairo on Tuesday, Mladenov didn’t hold back. He criticised Israeli airstrikes that have killed at least 34 civilians in the northern Gaza Strip over the past nine days, including 11 children in a single strike on a residential building in Jabalia. But he was equally direct about Hamas, condemning the group’s rocket fire into southern Israel and what he described as the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure near Sderot and Ashkelon.

“Both parties are making decisions today that will define whether there is anything left to negotiate tomorrow,” Mladenov said in a statement distributed to reporters.

It’s a rare moment of public pressure from the Board of Peace, an international body that has historically preferred quiet diplomacy over open condemnation.

Ceasefire under severe strain

The October ceasefire was brokered after 11 days of intense fighting that left more than 260 people dead, the vast majority of them Palestinians. It was never fully stable. But for several months, it held just enough to allow aid convoys into Gaza, where roughly 2.3 million people depend on external supplies for basic necessities including food, water, and medicine.

Now that fragile equilibrium is cracking. Israeli officials say they’ve intercepted 47 rockets since last Thursday alone. Palestinian health authorities in Gaza report that two hospitals in Gaza City are operating at 140% capacity, with medical supplies critically low.

So far, neither side has formally declared the ceasefire dead. But Mladenov’s warning suggests those closest to the negotiations believe it’s on life support.

Regional actors watching closely

Egypt and Qatar, who played key roles in brokering the original deal, have both sent senior envoys to the region in the last 48 hours. Still, there’s no confirmed date for fresh talks, and sources familiar with the process say trust between the parties has “effectively collapsed” at the working level.

Jordan’s foreign minister issued a separate statement urging Israeli restraint, while Saudi Arabia called on Hamas to “cease provocations” — an unusually pointed remark from Riyadh, which has been cautiously warming to Israel under its own diplomatic realignment.

What comes next

Mladenov is expected to brief the Board of Peace’s full council in Geneva on Friday. Diplomats say he’ll push for an emergency session and possibly a formal resolution demanding an immediate halt to hostilities.

Whether that changes anything on the ground is another question entirely. And with summer approaching and tensions already this high, the window for a negotiated de-escalation is narrowing fast. The region has been at this edge before. This time, though, even veteran diplomats sound genuinely worried it won’t pull back.