Board of Peace Criticizes Israel for Inadequate Aid Response to Gaza Floods

The Board of Peace, an international body established to oversee the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, has called on Israel to immediately permit the entry of all necessary humanitarian supplies into the territory. This urgent appeal follows heavy rainfall that flooded tens of thousands of tents, exacerbating the living conditions of displaced residents. While the Board acknowledged the measures currently under consideration by the Israeli government, it stated that the overall response remains insufficient for the scale of the crisis.

The situation has turned dire for many families in the central Strip, where three children and a woman lost their lives on Sunday when a sand embankment collapsed onto their shelter. Most people in Gaza have been displaced by military actions, with the United Nations reporting that approximately 65% of the population, or around 1.4 million people, now reside in tents or makeshift shelters.

Residents described the conditions as unbearable. Mohammed Jneid, standing in the rain in Gaza City, told the AFP news agency that heavy rains and overflowing sewage left them with no bedding or food. Similarly, Islam Al Mobayed, who was sheltering in a tent with seven children, described their exhaustion, stating that the current situation was not life.

In a rare public criticism of Israel, the Board of Peace noted that it had been urging the Israeli government to authorize the entry of essential goods for temporary shelter and water sanitation infrastructure. The body argued that delays in approving these supplies worsened the impact of a foreseeable humanitarian challenge and slowed the process of decommissioning weapons and transferring authority to a transitional government.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that more than 150,000 tents were staged outside Gaza, ready for deployment. However, aid efforts have been hindered by Israeli restrictions on the entry of supplies and equipment, as well as funding shortfalls. UN humanitarian coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov stated on Monday that stocks of essential winter items inside Gaza had been exhausted, urging Israeli authorities to lift entry restrictions immediately because time was running out.

Israel’s military agency, Cogat, responded by saying it had already allowed in tens of thousands of tents and trucks carrying winter supplies. According to Cogat, reconstruction work can only begin once Hamas has fully disarmed. The agency added that it would not permit the entry of equipment that could serve military purposes. In recent months, Israel implemented a winter plan in coordination with the Board of Peace and international charities, bringing in over 91,000 tents and more than 8,200 trucks with blankets, tarpaulins, and clothing.

Michal Maayan, a spokeswoman for the Israeli foreign ministry, accused Hamas of hoarding aid and being responsible for the delays in progress. She stated that the winter hardships were a direct consequence of Hamas’s actions and policies. In rebuttal, Hamas said the Board’s comment presented a distorted account of the disaster's causes. The group denied responsibility for ceasefire delays, citing a previous statement by Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators that accused Israel of violations.

Hamas further argued that Israeli restrictions prevented the entry of materials necessary for shelter and recovery, suggesting the Board should examine its own shortcomings as the ceasefire implementor. The underlying dispute stems from the October 2025 agreement to end the two-year war, in which Hamas agreed to give up governance and weapons in exchange for a phased Israeli troop withdrawal. Israel has maintained that full disarmament is a prerequisite for withdrawal, leaving the next stages of the peace plan stalled.

The conflict originally began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of around 1,200 people and the taking of 251 hostages. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN, the subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed 74,645 people. Since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025, more than 1,600 people have been killed in Gaza, while Israel reports that six of its soldiers have died in the territory during the same period.