Board of Peace says UNRWA will have no role in Gaza

The United States-led Board of Peace has said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, will have no role in Gaza, and that it will work only with partners it considers “trusted” and able to meet the needs of the territory’s population, the board said in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter (Al Jazeera).

The statement came as the Board of Peace unveiled a 66-project reconstruction blueprint, presented on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, that proposes about $2.4bn for projects aimed at beginning Gaza’s recovery, the report said (Al Jazeera).

In its post on X, the board said, “We will only work with trusted partners who will deliver for the people of Gaza and contribute to a deradicalised Strip. UNRWA fails on those litmus tests.” The remark was included in Al Jazeera’s coverage of the board’s announcement (Al Jazeera).

An official linked to the board, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity and cited by Al Jazeera, said board members had met UNRWA officials several times and added that “UNRWA’s days are over.” That comment was reported by Al Jazeera as part of its account of the meetings (Al Jazeera).

UNRWA’s acting Commissioner-General Christian Saunders responded in a statement reported by Al Jazeera, saying the agency “remains an institution of considerable humanitarian and strategic value, with capabilities and expertise that are difficult to replicate today.” The agency warned that sidelining its programmes would be irresponsible at a time of deep need (Al Jazeera).

Philippe Lazzarini, a former UNRWA chief, told The Associated Press that removing the agency would have a “devastating” effect on Palestinians, a comment also carried in Al Jazeera’s report (Al Jazeera).

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem accused the Board of Peace of aligning with Israel’s position, saying the exclusion aimed to end UNRWA’s operations, prevent it from delivering aid and undermine Palestinian refugees’ right of return, Al Jazeera reported (Al Jazeera).

Palestinian analyst Ahmed Najar told Al Jazeera that excluding UNRWA was not an administrative step but a political one, and that the board’s composition, which includes Israel as a founding member and excludes Palestinians, raised concerns about alignment with Israeli goals for Gaza’s governance and reconstruction (Al Jazeera).

Al Jazeera noted UNRWA employs about 11,000 Palestinians in Gaza and provides healthcare, education, water and sanitation services. The agency serves refugees in Gaza, occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and neighbouring countries, and is seen by many Palestinians as protecting their right of return, the report said. Israel has sought the agency’s dismantling, the article added (Al Jazeera).

Al Jazeera also reported that the Board of Peace was launched by US President Donald Trump earlier this year and was created to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding after nearly three years of war that the report described as Israel’s genocidal campaign in the enclave. The article said key elements of the so-called ceasefire remain stalled, including withdrawal of Israeli forces and disarmament of Hamas (Al Jazeera).

Featured image: Europäische Kommission, Audiovisueller Dienst, Lukasz Kobus, Yügen, CE, Service audiovisuel, EC, Audiovisual Service via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.