Hamas slams Board of Peace for refusal to work with UNRWA in Gaza

Palestinian radical Hamas has condemned the Board of Peace’s determination not to enactment with the United Nations bureau for Palestinians, UNRWA, and for saying that the bureau volition person nary relation successful Gaza.

The US-created Board’s determination is “a implicit alignment with the Zionist [Israeli] position”, aimed astatine ending UNRWA’s operations, preventing it from delivering assistance to Palestinians and eliminating the close of return, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said connected Saturday.

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On Friday, the Board of Peace said that “UNRWA’s engagement successful Gaza is unchanged.”

“We volition lone enactment with trusted partners who volition present for the radical of Gaza and lend to a deradicalized Strip,” it said successful a station connected X, adding that “UNRWA fails connected those litmus tests”.

In his statement, Qassem said it was “strange for the Peace Council to follow this hostile stance towards UNRWA portion simultaneously failing to supply assistance to Gaza oregon compel the concern to abide by the ceasefire statement and halt the regular killings of Palestinians successful the Strip”.

UNRWA, acceptable up successful 1949, has for decades provided assistance and acquisition services to Palestinian refugees and preserved their nationalist rights.

Palestinians spot the bureau arsenic safeguarding their close of instrumentality to their homeland, portion Israel wants it dismantled.

‘UNRWA’s days are over’

The Associated Press reported connected Friday that Board of Peace members had been much consenting to enactment with UNRWA down the scenes than their nationalist stance suggested.

At the Board of Peace briefing to the UN General Assembly connected Wednesday, officials named respective UN agencies arsenic partners. UNRWA was not among them.

However, a Board of Peace official, speaking to The AP connected information of anonymity, confirmed that committee members had met UNRWA officials respective times.

The authoritative said the agency’s programmes could proceed if they served Gaza’s residents well, but maintained that “UNRWA’s days are over”.

Philippe Lazzarini, who led UNRWA until earlier this year, told The AP that members of the Palestinian technocratic committee appointed by the Board to govern Gaza wanted to enactment with the agency.

On Thursday, Lazzarini accused the Board of failing to present connected its mandate, saying successful a station connected X that Israeli authorities are inactive blocking basal assistance “as portion of a wider program to support Gaza unlivable for Palestinians”.

“Grandiose plans is what the Board of Peace does best. Plans nevertheless volition not support the radical of Gaza lukewarm this winter,” helium added, urging that crossings into Gaza beryllium opened and supplies fto successful astatine scale.

Gaza, West Bank attacks continue

On the crushed connected Saturday, Israel’s signifier of violations against Palestinians successful Gaza and the occupied West Bank continued.

Israeli attacks killed 7 Palestinians crossed the Gaza Strip successful the past 48 hours, including 1 idiosyncratic who succumbed to wounds sustained prior, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said.

In bluish Gaza, Israeli forces changeable dormant a Palestinian successful Jabalia, the Palestinian quality bureau Wafa reported. An Israeli drone onslaught adjacent Joulis Street and al-Nouri Tower successful the Nuseirat exile campy killed different idiosyncratic and wounded others.

In al-Mawasi successful Khan Younis, an Israeli drone onslaught wounded respective Palestinians, including a girl, portion Israeli artillery shelled areas eastbound of the city.

An Israeli quadcopter besides opened occurrence connected Salah al-Din Street successful cardinal Gaza, wounding 3 people, including different girl.

Meanwhile, successful the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces stormed Ramallah-based Birzeit University, raiding 1 of its buildings portion students sat last examinations, according to the Palestinian quality bureau Wafa.

In Tulkarem, forces arrested nonmigratory Bashar Odeh aft raiding his location successful Shuweika, and interrogated others during location searches successful Zeita.

In Bethlehem governorate, Israeli forces closed the subject gates astatine the entrances to occidental villages, stopping residents, including pedestrians, from passing.

Raids continued crossed different localities, including the Qalandiya and Am’ari exile camps.

Smoke billows from a tract targeted by an Israeli onslaught successful the al-Mawasi country of Khan Younis successful the confederate Gaza Strip connected September 25, 2026 [Bashar Taleb/AFP]