From the Liveblog of
Monday, November 9, 2026
Board of Peace: Israel holding up Hamas disarmament; Netanyahu gov’t must allow more winter supplies into Gaza
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
In a pointed statement pressing Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza as winter weather sets in, the US-backed Board of Peace blames the Benjamin Netanyahu government for Hamas still holding all its weapons and ruling almost all Palestinians in Gaza, while simultaneously blaming Hamas’s refusal to disarm for making it harder to provide for the civilian population.
The international body says in a statement that it is “deeply concerned by the severe seasonal flooding that has struck Gaza over the past two days,” calling it “an immediate humanitarian emergency.”
In war-devastated Gaza, rains flooded more than 70,000 tents over the weekend, affecting tens of thousands of displaced people and causing injuries. The collapse of a sand embankment at a displacement camp in the Deir al-Balah area of the central Gaza Strip killed at least five.
“The urgent entry and distribution of essential shelter, sanitation, drainage, and other winterization supplies is critical to protecting civilian lives,” says the US-backed Board of Peace, warning against “preventable humanitarian emergencies.”
The Board says it has “specifically urged the Israeli government to authorize the entry of essential materials for temporary shelter, water and sanitation infrastructure, waste management, drainage, and sewage removal, and to abide by its commitments under the Sharm El-Sheikh Humanitarian Protocol.”
“At the same time, we have repeatedly pressed Hamas to agree to lay down its arms, relinquish governing authority, and fulfill its obligations under the plan,” it says, referring to the Donald Trump-backed 15-point plan to disarm Hamas. “These failures to act have impeded progress and compounded the challenges facing Gaza’s civilian population.”
The Board acknowledges “the steps now being considered by the Israeli government,” but emphasizes that “the response remains insufficient.”
It calls on the Netanyahu government “to act immediately to authorize and facilitate the entry of all necessary winterization and humanitarian supplies, and to fully implement its commitments under the President’s Comprehensive Peace Plan.”
The Board says that Israeli delays “have exacerbated the consequences of a foreseeable humanitarian challenge and significantly delayed the start of the decommissioning of weapons and transfer of authority from Hamas to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.”
Top Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov and senior BoP executive Tony Blair were in Israel last week to press Netanyahu to move forward on the Trump Gaza plan now that the Israeli elections have passed.
The Times of Israel Community.