Hamas condemns Board of Peace stance on UNRWA in Gaza

Hamas has condemned the Board of Peace after it said it would not work with UNRWA in Gaza, escalating a dispute over who will manage aid delivery in the territory. The row centres on the role of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza operations and comes against the backdrop of the ceasefire environment. Hamas said the board's position amounted to alignment with Israel, while the board said it would only work with trusted partners.

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Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the board's decision was a "complete alignment with the Zionist [Israeli] position", arguing that it was aimed at ending UNRWA's operations and preventing it from delivering aid to Palestinians. He also said it was strange for the board to take a hostile stance toward UNRWA while failing to provide aid to Gaza or compel the occupation to abide by the ceasefire agreement. The Board of Peace said on Friday that "UNRWA's involvement in Gaza is unchanged", but added that it would only work with partners that could deliver for the people of Gaza and contribute to a deradicalized Strip.

The dispute matters because UNRWA has long been central to aid and education services for Palestinian refugees. Established in 1949, the agency is seen by Palestinians as safeguarding their right of return, while Israel has long wanted it dismantled. The board's public exclusion of UNRWA from named partners at a briefing to the UN General Assembly has therefore become more than an administrative question.

It has become part of a wider argument over the future of humanitarian governance in Gaza and the terms under which aid can be delivered. The issue also has implications for the technocratic committee the board has appointed to help govern Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini, who led UNRWA until earlier this year, said members of that committee wanted to work with the agency.

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He also accused the board of failing to deliver on its mandate, saying Israeli authorities were still blocking basic aid. That places the dispute within a broader struggle over whether aid can move freely and whether new governing structures can operate alongside existing UN institutions. There are also signs that the board's public position may not fully reflect its private contacts.

A report cited board members as being more willing to work with UNRWA behind the scenes than their public stance suggested. A board official, speaking anonymously, said members had met UNRWA officials several times and that the agency's programmes could continue if they served Gaza's residents well. The same official also said, however, that "UNRWA's days are over", underlining the tension between practical cooperation and political opposition.

What remains unclear is how the board will translate its stated criteria into actual aid operations in Gaza, and whether UNRWA will be allowed any formal role. It is also not clear how the technocratic committee will work with the agency if the board maintains its public line. The next developments to watch are whether the board clarifies its position, whether UNRWA is included in future operational plans, and whether the dispute affects aid delivery under the ceasefire framework.

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