‘No role for UNRWA in Gaza’: Does the Board of Peace toe Israeli lines?

The Board of Peace (BoP), a US-led body created this year to oversee Gaza's ceasefire implementation and reconstruction, said it will not include the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) among its Gaza partners. Announcing a 66-project reconstruction plan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the BoP said it would work only with "trusted partners" it believes can meet Gaza’s needs and contribute to a "deradicalised" Strip, adding that "UNRWA fails on those litmus tests."

The BoP’s statement followed reporting that board members had met UNRWA officials and that the agency’s programs could continue if they served residents effectively, but an anonymous BoP official told the Associated Press that "UNRWA’s days are over." The plan presented by the board proposes $2.4 billion in initial projects to begin Gaza’s recovery nearly a year after a ceasefire came into effect, while many elements of that ceasefire — including Israeli troop withdrawal and Hamas disarmament — remain stalled.

UNRWA leaders and former officials warned of significant consequences if the agency is sidelined. Acting Commissioner-General Christian Saunders said UNRWA holds "considerable humanitarian and strategic value" with capacities that are hard to replicate, and former head Philippe Lazzarini said removing the agency could have a "devastating" impact on Palestinians. UNRWA currently delivers health, education, water and sanitation services across Gaza and employs about 11,000 Palestinians there; the agency also provides services in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and neighbouring countries.

The BoP’s exclusion of UNRWA drew immediate criticism from Palestinian officials and analysts who argue the move aligns with Israeli efforts to marginalise the agency. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem described the decision as "a complete alignment with the Zionist [Israeli] position," saying it aims to end UNRWA operations and undermine refugees' right of return. Palestinian analyst Ahmed Najar told Al Jazeera that excluding UNRWA is a political decision and noted that the BoP’s composition — which he said includes Israeli business figures and Trump administration officials while excluding Palestinian representation on its central and Gaza executive boards — raises concerns about whose vision will shape Gaza’s reconstruction.