The recent ceasefire negotiations hosted in Egypt between Palestinian factions and mediators have reached a tough impasse with regard to "Clause 8" of the proposal negotiated between the Palestinians and the United States, which addresses the conditions for post-war disarmament of the armed groups in Gaza. In the beginning, there was some flexibility shown on the part of Hamas by agreeing for the first time to hand over their heavy weaponry arsenal in return for a step-by-step withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, but Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative of the "Board of Peace", showed his inclination towards an extreme Israeli stance. Mr. Mladenov is now calling for the unconditional surrender of all weapons "from the single bullet" along with the maps of tunnels and arms workshops and even privately owned guns. The Palestinian factions have rejected these conditions altogether, branding Mladenov as a betrayer of neutrality and an employee of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is being contended by a spokesperson of the Board of Peace that the proposal was a mutually concerted effort between the mediators from the region to resolve the differences.