Hamas slams Board of Peace for refusal to work with UNRWA in Gaza

Hamas on Saturday condemned the Board of Peace for publicly excluding the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, from a role in Gaza. In a statement, spokesperson Hazem Qassem described the board's decision as aligning with Israel and accused it of aiming to terminate UNRWA’s operations, block aid to Palestinians and undermine the refugee right of return.

The Board of Peace, created by the United States, said on Friday that UNRWA’s involvement in Gaza was 'unchanged' while also asserting it would 'only work with trusted partners who will deliver for the people of Gaza and contribute to a deradicalized Strip,' adding that 'UNRWA fails on those litmus tests.' The Associated Press reported that, despite the board’s public stance, members had met UNRWA officials several times behind the scenes; an anonymous board official told AP that 'UNRWA’s days are over.'

Philippe Lazzarini, who led UNRWA until earlier this year, said members of the Palestinian technocratic committee appointed by the Board to govern Gaza wanted to work with the agency. Lazzarini also accused the Board of Peace of failing to fulfill its mandate and said Israeli authorities continued to block basic aid, which he described as part of a broader effort to keep Gaza unlivable—urging that crossings be opened and supplies allowed in at scale.

UNRWA, created in 1949, has long provided aid and education to Palestinian refugees and is widely seen by Palestinians as a protector of their national rights and the right of return; Israel has advocated for the agency’s dismantling. The controversy over the Board’s stance comes as violence and raids continued on the ground: Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported seven Palestinians killed across the Strip in the past 48 hours, and Palestinian agencies reported multiple strikes and shootings. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces carried out raids including a reported incursion into a Birzeit University building during student exams and made arrests in Tulkarem and other localities.