In an exclusive interview on Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, Nickolay Mladenov, high representative for Gaza and director-general of the U.S.-led Board of Peace, said unequivocally that Israel would not be expected to withdraw from Gaza until Hamas has disarmed.

Asked by journalist Amit Segal for his reaction to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement Sunday that he rejects the 15-point Board of Peace plan with Hamas, to which Israel is not a party, Mladenov explained that the plan is a roadmap to ensure that the tragedy of Oct. 7 never happens again. He explained that the plan rests on three major pillars: the disarmament of Hamas, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza taking over the daily affairs of Gazans, and the deployment of an international security force (ISF).

Segal pressed Mladenov on the disarmament of Hamas, asking if there would be any scenario in which Israel would be forced to pull out before disarmament is fully completed.

“Nobody is required to do anything, least of all Israel, before we actually have verified steps on the ground,” he said. “If there is verified decommissioning of weapons that they are taken away from the factions and stored and ultimately rendered unusable, Israel then withdraws from Gaza.”

He then explained that the withdrawal would occur in phases, with Israel withdrawing from small sections of Gaza, section by section, as each becomes demilitarized.

“None of the plan that we are preparing limits Israel’s options to react to a threat if it’s imminent and if it’s really endangering its troops,” he added.

Segal asked Mladenov what would happen if Israel recognized that Hamas was rearming and training again. Mladenov answered in no uncertain terms.

“If commitments are not being met, the process stops,” he said bluntly.

Allaying concerns about the storage of weapons within Gaza, the diplomat said that no weapon would enter storage without being rendered unusable. He also said it would take 10 years to destroy all the tunnels, so the Board of Peace is seeking contractors to speed up the work.