diff --git a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Synchronization.Test/ForwardHeaderProviderTests.cs b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Synchronization.Test/ForwardHeaderProviderTests.cs
index dbda18297e0..1cd7aa616fb 100644
--- a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Synchronization.Test/ForwardHeaderProviderTests.cs
+++ b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Synchronization.Test/ForwardHeaderProviderTests.cs
@@ -428,6 +428,48 @@ public async Task Faults_on_get_headers_faulting()
         await headerTask.Should().ThrowAsync<InvalidOperationException>();
     }
 
+    [Test]
+    public async Task Reports_weak_peer_on_timeout_cancellation()
+    {
+        await using IContainer node = CreateNode();
+        Context ctx = node.Resolve<Context>();
+
+        ISyncPeer syncPeer = Substitute.For<ISyncPeer>();
+        syncPeer.TotalDifficulty.Returns(UInt256.MaxValue);
+        syncPeer.HeadNumber.Returns(1000);
+        syncPeer.GetBlockHeaders(Arg.Any<long>(), Arg.Any<int>(), Arg.Any<int>(), Arg.Any<CancellationToken>())
+            .Returns<Task<IOwnedReadOnlyList<BlockHeader>?>>(x => throw new OperationCanceledException());
+
+        PeerInfo peerInfo = new(syncPeer);
+        ctx.ConfigureBestPeer(peerInfo);
+
+        IForwardHeaderProvider forwardHeader = ctx.ForwardHeaderProvider;
+        (await forwardHeader.GetBlockHeaders(0, 128, CancellationToken.None)).Should().BeNull();
+        ctx.PeerPool.Received().ReportWeakPeer(peerInfo, AllocationContexts.ForwardHeader);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task Throws_on_sync_cancellation()
+    {
+        await using IContainer node = CreateNode();
+        Context ctx = node.Resolve<Context>();
+
+        using CancellationTokenSource cts = new();
+        cts.Cancel();
+
+        ISyncPeer syncPeer = Substitute.For<ISyncPeer>();
+        syncPeer.TotalDifficulty.Returns(UInt256.MaxValue);
+        syncPeer.HeadNumber.Returns(1000);
+        syncPeer.GetBlockHeaders(Arg.Any<long>(), Arg.Any<int>(), Arg.Any<int>(), Arg.Any<CancellationToken>())
+            .Returns<Task<IOwnedReadOnlyList<BlockHeader>?>>(x => throw new OperationCanceledException());
+
+        ctx.ConfigureBestPeer(syncPeer);
+
+        IForwardHeaderProvider forwardHeader = ctx.ForwardHeaderProvider;
+        Func<Task> act = () => forwardHeader.GetBlockHeaders(0, 128, cts.Token);
+        await act.Should().ThrowAsync<OperationCanceledException>();
+    }
+
     [Flags]
     private enum Response
     {
diff --git a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Synchronization/Blocks/PowForwardHeaderProvider.cs b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Synchronization/Blocks/PowForwardHeaderProvider.cs
index 9db02fb7c01..61f63f98d0a 100644
--- a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Synchronization/Blocks/PowForwardHeaderProvider.cs
+++ b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Synchronization/Blocks/PowForwardHeaderProvider.cs
@@ -175,6 +175,12 @@ private void OnNewBestPeer(PeerInfo newBestPeer)
                 syncPeerPool.ReportWeakPeer(bestPeer, AllocationContexts.ForwardHeader);
                 return null;
             }
+            catch (OperationCanceledException) when (!cancellation.IsCancellationRequested)
+            {
+                // Request was cancelled due to timeout in protocol handler, not because the sync was cancelled
+                syncPeerPool.ReportWeakPeer(bestPeer, AllocationContexts.ForwardHeader);
+                return null;
+            }
             catch (EthSyncException e)
             {
                 if (_logger.IsDebug) _logger.Debug($"Failed to download forward header from {bestPeer}, {e}");
diff --git a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie.Test/Pruning/TreeStoreTests.cs b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie.Test/Pruning/TreeStoreTests.cs
index a5b93e6758c..84e6865a9e7 100644
--- a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie.Test/Pruning/TreeStoreTests.cs
+++ b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie.Test/Pruning/TreeStoreTests.cs
@@ -1606,5 +1606,40 @@ void VerifyAllTrieExceptGenesis()
                 }
             }
         }
+
+        [Test]
+        public void BlockCommitSet_IsSealed_after_Seal_with_null_root()
+        {
+            // This test verifies the fix for networks that have an empty genesis state.
+            // When the state trie is empty, the root is null, but the commit set should still be sealed.
+            BlockCommitSet commitSet = new(0);
+
+            commitSet.IsSealed.Should().BeFalse();
+
+            commitSet.Seal(null);
+
+            commitSet.IsSealed.Should().BeTrue();
+            commitSet.StateRoot.Should().Be(Keccak.EmptyTreeHash);
+        }
+
+        [Test]
+        public void Consecutive_block_commits_work_when_first_has_null_root()
+        {
+            // This test simulates a scenario where the genesis block has an empty state (no allocations).
+            // Block 0 commits with null root, then block 1 should be able to commit without assertion failure.
+            using TrieStore fullTrieStore = CreateTrieStore();
+
+            // Block 0: empty state (genesis with no allocations)
+            using (ICommitter _ = fullTrieStore.BeginStateBlockCommit(0, null)) { }
+
+            // Block 1: should not throw or assert, even though previous block had null root
+            TrieNode trieNode = new(NodeType.Leaf, Keccak.Zero);
+            Action commitBlock1 = () =>
+            {
+                using (ICommitter _ = fullTrieStore.BeginStateBlockCommit(1, trieNode)) { }
+            };
+
+            commitBlock1.Should().NotThrow();
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie/Pruning/BlockCommitPackage.cs b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie/Pruning/BlockCommitPackage.cs
index 9092f499ded..1df8cfa11a2 100644
--- a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie/Pruning/BlockCommitPackage.cs
+++ b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie/Pruning/BlockCommitPackage.cs
@@ -14,11 +14,18 @@ public class BlockCommitSet(long blockNumber) : IComparable<BlockCommitSet>
         public TrieNode? Root { get; private set; }
         public Hash256 StateRoot => Root?.Keccak ?? Keccak.EmptyTreeHash;
 
-        public bool IsSealed => Root is not null;
+        private bool _isSealed;
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// A commit set is sealed once <see cref="Seal"/> has been called, regardless of whether the root is null.
+        /// A null root is valid for an empty state trie (e.g., genesis blocks with no allocations).
+        /// </summary>
+        public bool IsSealed => _isSealed;
 
         public void Seal(TrieNode? root)
         {
             Root = root;
+            _isSealed = true;
         }
 
         public override string ToString() => $"{BlockNumber}({Root})";
diff --git a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie/Pruning/TrieStore.cs b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie/Pruning/TrieStore.cs
index 66c57f32656..657f87d1d79 100644
--- a/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie/Pruning/TrieStore.cs
+++ b/src/Nethermind/Nethermind.Trie/Pruning/TrieStore.cs
@@ -463,7 +463,7 @@ public IBlockCommitter BeginBlockCommit(long blockNumber)
     private void FinishBlockCommit(BlockCommitSet set, TrieNode? root)
     {
         if (_logger.IsTrace) _logger.Trace($"Enqueued blocks {_commitSetQueue.Count}");
-        // Note: root is null when the state trie is empty. It will therefore make the block commit set not sealed.
+        // Note: root can be null when the state trie is empty (e.g., genesis with no allocations).
         set.Seal(root);
         set.Prune();