Palestinian statehood has emerged as a key point of disagreement in negotiations over Gaza’s proposed post-war roadmap, with confidential documents revealing broader divisions over disarmament, governance and reconstruction, according to confidential documents obtained by Drop Site News.
The documents include amendments submitted by Palestinian negotiators to a proposed 15-point roadmap and a response by the Board of Peace’s (BoP) High Representative, Nickolay Mladenov. Together, they set out competing approaches to implementing the October 2025 ceasefire agreement.
Disarmament dispute
The report says the central disagreement is whether the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups should be a condition for implementing the roadmap. The Palestinian text states that any arrangement on weapons must form part of a broader process guaranteeing Palestinian statehood, self-determination and Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. It also argues that decisions on the issue should involve all Palestinian political factions rather than Hamas alone.
Mladenov’s response instead links reconstruction, governance reforms and Israeli military redeployment to the decommissioning of weapons. It also broadens the process beyond heavy weapons to include military infrastructure, tunnels, weapons production facilities and all remaining weapons held by Palestinian factions.
The report says the revised text further expands the role of a proposed International Stabilisation Force. Besides monitoring compliance with the ceasefire, it would support implementation of the decommissioning process, although the document does not specify how that role would be carried out.
Statehood and governance
According to the report, the Palestinian amendments explicitly link implementation of the roadmap to self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. They also treat Gaza and the occupied West Bank as a single Palestinian territory and envisage an independent National Committee for Gaza Administration overseeing Gaza during a transitional period before elections.
Mladenov’s version removes references to international law and UN resolutions, instead describing statehood as a possible outcome dependent on creating conditions for a “credible pathway”. According to the report, Palestinian negotiators argue that these changes weaken explicit commitments to Palestinian statehood by replacing guarantees with conditional language. The revised text also places the proposed administrative committee under broader international supervision, makes its deployment contingent on progress in security commitments and omits references to the future role of the Palestinian Authority.
The documents also differ on reconstruction. The Palestinian amendments support plans endorsed by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, while Mladenov’s proposal places future rebuilding under mechanisms operating through the Board and the proposed administrative committee.
Israeli-backed militias
Another point of contention concerns Israeli-backed Palestinian militias operating in Gaza. The Palestinian amendments call for their immediate dismantling and the confiscation of their weapons. Mladenov’s response instead proposes placing those groups under a phased weapons decommissioning process similar to that outlined for Palestinian armed factions.
A Board spokesperson rejected claims that the roadmap favours Israel, telling Drop Site News that it was intended to support governance, humanitarian relief, reconstruction, economic recovery and security arrangements capable of preventing renewed conflict.
Gaza casualty update
Separately, the Gaza Health Ministry said 1,029 Palestinians have been killed, 3,294 injured and 785 bodies recovered since the ceasefire took effect on October 11.
The ministry said the overall death toll since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, had risen to 73,041, while the number of injured reached 173,402.
