Hamas condemned the Board of Peace’s decision not to work with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and its statement that the agency would have no role in Gaza. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called the position an alignment with Israel and alleged it aimed to end UNRWA’s operations, block aid and undermine the right of return. Those are Hamas’s claims, not an independent finding.
On Friday, the Board said UNRWA’s involvement in Gaza was unchanged. It also said it would work only with trusted partners able to serve Gaza’s population and contribute to a “deradicalized” territory, adding that UNRWA failed those tests.
The public stance contrasts with Associated Press reporting that Board members had met UNRWA officials several times and were more willing to cooperate privately. A Board official confirmed the meetings and said the agency’s programmes could continue if they served residents, while also saying UNRWA’s days were over.
Established in 1949, UNRWA has provided aid and education to Palestinian refugees for decades. Palestinians view it as safeguarding their right of return, while Israel wants it dismantled. Former chief Philippe Lazzarini told AP that members of the Palestinian technocratic committee appointed to govern Gaza wanted to work with the agency.
The dispute comes amid continued violence. Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks killed seven Palestinians across the Strip in the past 48 hours, including one person who died of earlier wounds. Wafa reported a Palestinian killed in Jabalia and another person killed in a drone strike near Joulis Street and al-Nouri Tower in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
The report also described several people, including a girl, wounded in a drone strike in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis; artillery fire east of the city; and three people, including a girl, wounded by quadcopter fire on Salah al-Din Street. In the occupied West Bank, Wafa reported a raid at Birzeit University during final exams, an arrest in Tulkarem and movement restrictions west of Bethlehem.
Lazzarini has accused the Board of failing to deliver on its mandate and urged crossings into Gaza to open so supplies can enter at scale. The report attributes casualty and incident details to Gaza’s Health Ministry and Palestinian news agency Wafa.