Board of Peace members have met UNRWA multiple times since the Gaza ceasefire, a board official confirmed, although the agency was omitted from public reconstruction plans. Former chief Philippe Lazzarini says Gaza’s future Palestinian committee also wants to work with the U.N.
Two senior U.N. officials said UNRWA and the Palestinian committee had met at least three times this year, most recently this month, and remained in technical contact. An April meeting readout said the committee viewed UNRWA as able to lead refugee-camp reconstruction. No reconstruction has begun in Gaza nearly a year after the ceasefire. Israel is still preventing the committee from entering, saying Hamas must disarm first; the Board says its plans can proceed in earnest once the committee is inside.
A Board official said meetings examined UNRWA’s operations to shape more efficient, accountable programs, and that the agency’s days were over; programs may persist if serving Gazans well, while staff may stay only after vetting and if they deliver their mandate without advancing ideology or Hamas interests. UNRWA says its roughly 11,000 Palestinian staff in Gaza conduct an average 14,000 medical appointments daily. Israel wants the agency out and has accused it of Hamas infiltration; the International Court of Justice says the allegations have not been substantiated.
