Palestinian resistance factions have called for dissolving the so-called "Board of Peace," saying it has failed to end the suffering of Palestinians or to carry out its responsibilities toward the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. In a press statement, they also called on the United Nations and the Security Council to take responsibility and act to protect civilians and end the siege.
The factions said Israel bears responsibility for the continuing catastrophe, along with the international parties that provide Israel with political cover and support, foremost among them the US administration, as Palestinians face killing, destruction, siege and the denial of the means of life. They urged the UN and the Security Council to act seriously and effectively to stop the violations and to provide relief, shelter and the necessities of life for Palestinians in the Strip.
The statement came a day after the Board of Peace, the US-backed body overseeing Trump's plan for Gaza, described the flooding in the Strip as "an immediate humanitarian emergency." It urged Israel to allow in shelter, water, sanitation and drainage materials and to honor the Sharm El-Sheikh Humanitarian Protocol, calling its response to winter conditions "insufficient." It also said Hamas must lay down its arms and hand over governing authority, and that its failures had hindered progress and worsened conditions in Gaza.
Hamas rejected the board's statement. "We reject what was stated in the Board of Peace statement, which holds Hamas responsible for obstructing the roadmap," the movement said, adding that statements by the mediators, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, held Israel responsible for undermining implementation of the second phase, even though Hamas and the factions had agreed to the roadmap. "We reject turning the humanitarian catastrophe and the entry of aid into a political pressure card," it said, stressing that Israel continues to block the entry of shelter and recovery supplies although tens of thousands of families have been hit by the floods. The Palestinian Information Center reported that Hamas also said "children dying beneath collapsed sand embankments or in floodwaters are not parties to political negotiations," and demanded that the crossings open to relief, shelter and recovery supplies without political or security conditions.
The Gaza Government Media Office said more than 70,000 tents were flooded in 12 hours, and Gaza's civil defense said a sand embankment collapsed onto tents sheltering displaced people in Deir al-Balah, killing five people. Gaza's Ministry of Public Works and Housing says the Strip needs about 270,000 tents. Israel claims more than 91,000 tents and over 8,200 trucks carrying tarpaulins, blankets and winter clothing have entered Gaza since its winter plan began, and blames the UN and international organizations for delays in carrying out roughly half of the approved requests.
The factions also saluted the marches and solidarity events held in the Netherlands against the continuing aggression, and called on people across the world to escalate protests and dedicate Friday, Saturday and Sunday to renewed days of action. They asked scholars, preachers and imams to dedicate Friday sermons to the suffering of Gaza, and urged human rights bodies, unions and popular associations to intensify their activities and press governments to take practical measures rather than settle for statements of condemnation and denunciation.
