Board of Peace calls Israel's Gaza flood response 'insufficient' and tells Hamas to disarm

The Board of Peace, the body set up to oversee U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza plan, said on Monday that Israel's response to weekend flooding in the Gaza Strip "remains insufficient." In the same statement, it told Hamas to disarm and hand over power without further delay. Hamas rejected the statement hours later, saying it ignored Israel's role in blocking the plan. Israel's military said it has already let in more than 91,000 tents. It said about half of the aid requests it approved are still waiting on the UN and aid groups.

The exchange follows heavy rain that flooded tent camps across Gaza over the weekend. A woman and three children were killed on Sunday night at a displacement camp south of Deir al-Balah. A sand embankment collapsed onto their tents, Israel National News reported, citing Reuters. The UN humanitarian office (OCHA) said aid groups had received requests for help from more than 26,000 households whose shelters or belongings were damaged. Earlier on Monday, 567politics reported on the floods and the dispute over shelter supplies.

What the Board of Peace said#

"The situation no longer represents simply a threat posed by the approaching winter, but an immediate humanitarian emergency," the Board said, according to Anadolu Agency. It said flooding over the past two days had "swamped tens of thousands of tents and makeshift shelters" and left displaced families exposed to the cold.

The Board said it had repeatedly urged the Israeli government to let in materials for shelter, water, sanitation, drainage and sewage removal. It said it had asked Israel to keep its commitments under the Sharm El-Sheikh Humanitarian Protocol. It acknowledged "steps being considered" by the Israeli government, including through COGAT, the Israeli military body that handles civilian matters in the Palestinian territories. "The response remains insufficient," it said.

"We call on the leadership of the current Government of Israel to act immediately to authorize and facilitate the entry of all necessary winterization and humanitarian supplies, and to fully implement its commitments under the President's Comprehensive Peace Plan," the statement read.

The Board linked the aid delays to the wider plan. It said the delays "have exacerbated the consequences of a foreseeable humanitarian challenge." It said they had also "significantly delayed" two key steps. One is the start of weapons decommissioning. The other is the transfer of authority from Hamas to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). The NCAG is the technocratic body meant to take over civilian government in Gaza under the plan.

The Board also acknowledged improvements over the past year, especially in food supply and nutrition. It warned that the flooding threatened to reverse those gains, according to Israel National News.

The Board's message to Hamas#

The statement was also sharp toward Hamas. "We likewise call on Hamas's leadership to abide by its commitments without further delay," it said, The Jerusalem Post reported. "Recent military activity in civilian areas and near Israeli positions endangers civilians and undermines the humanitarian progress of the last year." It called on Hamas to lay down its weapons and transfer governing authority to the NCAG.

"Nothing absolves Hamas from its responsibility for launching the attacks of October 7th, 2023, with no consideration for the consequences for the population," the Board said, according to Israel National News.

The Board urged the UN, its agencies and donors to coordinate with it to raise money and supplies for Gaza's winter needs. "The time for assurances without implementation has passed," it said. It warned that parties that fail to meet their obligations would "bear direct responsibility for the consequences."

Israel: 91,000 tents and requests left unfilled#

The statement came as the Israel Defense Forces and COGAT released new details of what they said Israel has done to prepare Gaza for winter. According to the military, as reported by Israel National News, more than 91,000 tents and over 8,200 trucks carrying winter supplies, including blankets, tarpaulins and clothing, have entered Gaza in recent months.

The IDF said the winter program was developed with the Board of Peace and carried out with the UN, aid groups and donor countries. It said it had let in 12 sewage vacuum trucks for the International Committee of the Red Cross and 7,500 vaccine doses for UNICEF. It also listed three mobile clinics for International Medical Corps, plus medical supplies and fuel for hospitals.

The military said more than 850 requests covering tens of thousands of trucks of winter supplies have been approved. It said about half of those have not yet been carried out by the UN and international organizations, partly because of logistical and financial problems. It also said it is still reviewing requests for equipment that it says could be diverted to Hamas to rebuild military infrastructure, while looking at alternatives.

"The IDF and COGAT will continue working to improve the humanitarian response and prepare the population for winter, while preventing these efforts from being exploited to rebuild the capabilities of terrorist organizations," the military said. 567politics did not find a direct response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office to the Board's criticism by publication time.

Trump spoke with Netanyahu several days ago and told him he wanted Israel to advance the 20-point plan, The Jerusalem Post reported. It cited two sources familiar with the details.

Hamas rejects the statement#

Hamas rejected the Board's statement on Monday evening. Its statement was carried by the Palestinian Information Center. Hamas said the Board had acknowledged the crisis and Israel's delays. But it said the Board misrepresented the causes and ignored Israel's role in obstructing the plan. Hamas said blaming it for delays contradicts the positions of the mediators, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. It cited a joint mediators' statement of August 3, 2026, that said continued Israeli violations were undermining the plan's second phase.

The Palestinian news agency Sawa said Hamas accused the Board of giving a distorted account of what caused the disaster. Hamas warned against using relief and shelter supplies as leverage for political blackmail, Sawa said. According to the Palestinian Information Center, Hamas said children dying under collapsed sand embankments or in floodwaters are not parties to political talks. Both outlets published English versions of the statement; the wording above follows their translations.

Hamas said it was ready to carry out the agreed arrangements. It rejected attempts to reinterpret them or add new conditions, which it said would change the order of commitments or hold up an Israeli withdrawal. It asked the Board to compel Israel to fulfill its first-phase commitments and open the crossings without political or security conditions. It also asked for a clear timetable and a way to verify progress. It wants the NCAG allowed to start work and a public report on which side has met which commitments.

Hamas did not address the Board's call for it to disarm directly in the excerpts published by these outlets.

The NCAG and the Palestinian Authority#

The NCAG issued its own statement offering condolences to families whose relatives were killed when embankments and rubble collapsed onto tents. "We call upon regional and international partners, mediators, and all relevant parties to facilitate the immediate entry of shelter and emergency relief supplies, including drainage equipment," its chief commissioner said, according to Israel National News. Last week 567politics reported on the NCAG's stalled handover and the police strike in Gaza.

In Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority cabinet opened its weekly meeting with the situation in Gaza. The cabinet said Gazans were entering "their fourth winter in dilapidated tents," the official WAFA news agency reported. It said "the Israeli occupation continues to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid and essential materials and supplies for shelter and reconstruction." It asked all parties to let PA government teams work in Gaza, where it said they are setting up shelters and repairing water networks.

Bishara Bahbah is a Palestinian-American businessman who has carried messages between Hamas and the United States. He told the Post that "there is aid waiting at the border with Egypt, including tents, caravans, and food." He said the Trump administration now appears to be working with Israel to improve the situation.

Germany adds its voice#

Germany's Foreign Office also spoke on Monday. At the government press conference in Berlin, spokesman Hinterseher said reports of 70,000 flooded tents showed the need for action, according to the FragDenStaat transcript. He said Germany wants scanners for "dual-use" goods brought into operation as soon as possible. He also said disarming Hamas is "an elementary point" of the plan, that there has been no progress on it, and that progress on aid is needed regardless.

What remains disputed#

The two sides' figures describe different things. Israel counts tents and trucks that have entered and requests it has approved. The Board, Hamas and the PA say the supplies most needed, such as shelter and drainage materials, are still being held up. Hamas cited UN reports that large amounts of shelter material are waiting outside Gaza for entry permits. The IDF says half of approved requests are waiting on the UN and aid groups, not on Israel. 567politics could not independently check either claim.

Background on the plan's stalled timetable is in our coverage of Gaza diplomacy and the yellow line and Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov's push for winter shelter. Palestinian factions are mapped on our Palestine political spectrum.

Differing perspectives

Who is responsible for the shortfall in winter shelter in Gaza, and what should happen next?

Each position is summarized as its supporters make it, with equal weight and in alphabetical order. A summary is not an endorsement; the evidence for each is weighed in the story above.

• Israel is delivering; the bottleneck is elsewhere

  Who holds it: Israel Defense Forces and COGAT

  The IDF and COGAT say more than 91,000 tents and 8,200 trucks of winter supplies have entered Gaza, under a plan built with the Board of Peace. They say over 850 requests have been approved but about half have not been carried out by the UN and aid groups. They say they will keep improving the response while preventing aid from being used to rebuild terrorist capabilities.

  In their words: Israel National News ↗

• Israel must let supplies in now, and Hamas must disarm

  Who holds it: The Board of Peace

  The Board says the flooding has turned winter into an immediate humanitarian emergency and that Israel's response, including steps under consideration by COGAT, remains insufficient. It calls on Israel's government to authorize all winter supplies and meet its Sharm El-Sheikh commitments. It also calls on Hamas to keep its commitments without delay, lay down its weapons and hand authority to the NCAG.

  In their words: Anadolu Agency ↗

• The Board is blaming the wrong side

  Who holds it: Hamas

  Hamas says the Board's statement misrepresents the causes of the disaster and ignores Israel's responsibility for obstructing the plan, contradicting mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. It warns against using relief as a bargaining tool. It says it is ready to implement the agreed arrangements and wants the Board to compel Israel to open the crossings without conditions, with a timetable and verification mechanism.

  In their words: Palestinian Information Center ↗

• The world must act and let Palestinian teams work

  Who holds it: Palestinian Authority cabinet, Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa

  The PA cabinet says Gazans are entering a fourth winter in tents that offer no protection, while Israel continues to block aid and shelter and reconstruction materials amid international silence. It calls on the international community to take effective action to halt the catastrophe. It asks all parties to let PA government teams work in Gaza, where it says they are building shelters and repairing water networks.

  In their words: WAFA ↗

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