Board of Peace urges Israel to lift restrictions on Gaza aid after floods

The US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace has urged Israel to allow unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza following heavy rains that flooded tens of thousands of tents. While acknowledging recent steps by Israeli authorities, the board said the response "remains insufficient".

Israel's military agency responsible for coordinating aid said it had permitted tens of thousands of tents and trucks with winter supplies, but added that reconstruction could only start after Hamas fully disarms. On Sunday, a sand embankment collapse killed three children and a woman in the central Strip.

Residents described dire conditions. Mohammed Jneid, standing in Gaza City, told AFP that heavy rain and sewage overflow left people with no bedding or food. "We have nothing left, no bedding, no food, nothing," he said. Inside a tent, Islam Al Mobayed said, "This is not life. We are exhausted, we are tired of this entire life."

In a rare criticism of Israel, the Board said it had repeatedly urged the Israeli government to authorize entry of essential shelter, water and sanitation supplies, warning that delays "exacerbated the consequences of a foreseeable humanitarian challenge" and postponed decommissioning weapons and transferring authority to a transitional government.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA reported that more than 150,000 tents were ready to enter Gaza but were constrained by Israeli restrictions and funding shortfalls. UN coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said stocks of shelter and winter items inside Gaza had been exhausted and urged Israeli authorities to lift all restrictions immediately.

Israel's foreign ministry spokeswoman Michal Maayan said a winter plan coordinated with the Board and international charities had delivered over 91,000 tents and 8,200 trucks of supplies, and that the military body Cogat would not allow equipment that could be used for military purposes. Maayan accused Hamas of hoarding aid and said winter hardships were a consequence of Hamas's actions.

Hamas responded that the Board's statement presented a distorted account of the disaster, blaming Israeli restrictions for the lack of shelter materials and urging the ceasefire implementor to address its own shortcomings. Under the October 2025 agreement to end the war, Hamas agreed to relinquish governance and weapons in exchange for a phased Israeli troop withdrawal, but Israel maintains that full disarmament is required before withdrawal, leaving the next stages of the peace plan stalled.