AhlulBayt News Agency: The Islamic resistance movement Hamas says the so-called US-created Board of Peace’s “hostile stance” toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) fully aligns with the Israeli regime’s position, as the board rules out any role for the UN agency in rebuilding Gaza.
The Board of Peace says it is pushing ahead with plans to rebuild the Gaza Strip while ruling out a role for UNRWA in its reconstruction, despite the agency’s decades-long support for displaced Palestinians.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a statement on Saturday that the decision “is a full alignment with the Zionist position.”
Qassem said it was strange for the so-called Board of Peace “to take this hostile stance against UNRWA while at the same time being completely unable to provide relief to Gaza or compel the occupation to abide by the ceasefire agreement and stop its daily killing of our people in the Gaza Strip.”
In addition, the Popular Committees for Palestinian Refugees in Palestine also condemned the board’s decision, describing it as a “very dangerous development.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, the committees said the Board of Peace’s decision regarding UNRWA amounts to an open acceptance of the Israeli regime’s position, which has sought for years to weaken the UN agency and end its existence and role, particularly in the Gaza Strip.
They also warned that targeting UNRWA does not simply mean targeting a humanitarian aid agency, but also targets one of the most important issues related to the Palestinian refugee question.
The Popular Committees said the Board of Peace, chaired by US President Donald Trump, provides political cover for continued Israeli pressure on UNRWA, its institutions and staff.
It also warned that the process could endanger the safety of UNRWA personnel and the agency’s ability to continue providing services to millions of Palestinian refugees.
The committees called on the United Nations and its member states to adopt a clear position in support of UNRWA, its staff and facilities, and to oppose turning humanitarian aid and the rights of Palestinian refugees into tools subject to political and security conditions.
Israel has banned UNRWA from operating in the occupied territories after accusing some of its staff of involvement in Hamas unprecedented operation against Israel on October 7, 2023. Despite repeated requests from UNRWA for evidence supporting these allegations, the Israeli regime has not responded.
The UN agency has faced deepening financial turmoil since Israel launched a sustained defamation campaign against it. Israel has already barred dozens of international humanitarian organizations from operating in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied territories.
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