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Board of Peace’s Gaza Reconstruction Plans Clash with UNRWA’s Ongoing Presence
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Board of Peace’s Gaza Reconstruction Plans and UNRWA Involvement
The U.S.-created Board of Peace is preparing to activate a reconstruction program for Gaza, but it has publicly excluded the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from its partner list. Behind the scenes, board members have met repeatedly with UNRWA officials and with the Palestinian technocratic committee that is slated to govern Gaza once Israel permits its entry. The committee has indicated that UNRWA’s expertise will be essential for rebuilding refugee camps, and the Board’s own briefings acknowledge ongoing technical discussions with the agency.
Background: UNRWA’s Role Since Late 2023
In the months following the October 2023 conflict, UNRWA temporarily expanded its mandate to coordinate aid entry into Gaza. Israel later barred UNRWA’s international staff and halted most humanitarian shipments, but the agency’s core programs continued operating. Its former head, Philippe Lazzarini, remained in his post until his last working day on March 31, after which he announced plans to publish a memoir about his tenure.
Scale of UNRWA Operations in Gaza
UNRWA reports that it employs roughly 11,000 Palestinian staff in Gaza. Those workers deliver about 14,000 medical appointments each day, manage water and waste services for more than one million residents, run digital-literacy and mathematics programs for over 280,000 children, and operate temporary learning spaces serving an additional 60,000 pupils. The agency also underpins roughly half of Gaza’s public health system, according to Lazzarini’s statements.
Official Statements from Board, UNRWA, and Israel
A Board of Peace official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meetings aim to determine how UNRWA’s operations can be made “far more efficient and accountable,” while also noting that the agency’s “days are over” unless its staff pass vetting and avoid advancing any ideology. Acting UNRWA chief Christian Saunders, speaking at a pledging conference on June 30, described the agency as “vital” to the Board’s and the Palestinian committee’s efforts to move forward. Israel’s foreign ministry declined to comment on the Board’s remarks.