The Trump administration’s Board of Peace (BoP) on Monday called on Israel to immediately facilitate the entry of winterization and humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip, criticizing what it characterized as insufficient progress in approving essential materials following recent severe flooding that has affected tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
“The situation no longer represents simply a threat posed by the approaching winter, but an immediate humanitarian emergency,” the BoP said in a statement, emphasizing the urgent need for shelter, sanitation, drainage, and other supplies to protect against the advancing winter weather.
“Seasonal flooding that has struck Gaza over the past two days has swamped tens of thousands of tents and makeshift shelters, damaged essential belongings, and left displaced families, who were already living in precarious conditions, exposed to cold and unsafe conditions,” the statement added.
The BoP said it had repeatedly urged the Israeli government to authorize the entry of materials needed for temporary shelters, water and sanitation infrastructure, waste management, drainage, and sewage removal.
“We have specifically urged the Israeli government to abide by its commitments under the Sharm el-Sheikh Humanitarian Protocol,” the statement said.
Current steps being considered by Israel not enough, BoP says
While acknowledging steps being considered by the Israeli government, including through the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the BoP said the response remained insufficient.
“Delays in these approvals and the implementation of the commitments undertaken at Sharm el-Sheikh have exacerbated the consequences of a foreseeable humanitarian challenge,” the BoP stated.
The BoP also linked delays in humanitarian arrangements to the broader implementation of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, arguing that the start of the weapons decommissioning process and the transfer of governing authority from Hamas to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) had been significantly postponed.
Several days ago, Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him that he wanted the Israeli premier to advance the implementation of the 20-point plan he had developed for the Gaza Strip, according to two sources familiar with the details.
BoP accuses Hamas of failing to meet obligations
The BoP statement also delivered a strong message to Hamas, accusing the terror group of failing to meet its obligations under the peace plan and warning that its recent military activity was endangering civilians.
“We likewise call on Hamas’s leadership to abide by its commitments without further delay,” it said. “Recent military activity in civilian areas and near Israeli positions endangers civilians and undermines the humanitarian progress of the last year.”
The BoP additionally called on the United Nations, its agencies, and international donors to coordinate to mobilize the resources and operational support needed to address Gaza’s immediate needs for the winter and advance the Strip’s recovery.
“The time for assurances without implementation has passed,” the BoP statement noted, warning that all parties would bear responsibility for failing to meet their commitments. “The people of Gaza cannot afford continued inaction, nor can the prospects for lasting peace.”
Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah told The Jerusalem Post:
“What needs to be done immediately is to provide emergency assistance to Gaza residents who have been left without shelter and cannot even sleep on the ground, because 70,000 tents made of fabric have been destroyed.”
Bahbah, who was involved in efforts to secure a hostage deal and served as an intermediary conveying messages between Hamas and the United States, recently approached senior American officials and asked them to work with Israel to ensure that emergency assistance reaches the Gaza Strip.
He added that the Trump administration now appears to be working with Israel to improve the situation.
“There is aid waiting at the border with Egypt, including tents, caravans, and food, and its entry into Gaza needs to be facilitated,” Bahbah told the Post.