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U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace warned Monday that seasonal flooding in Gaza has created an “immediate humanitarian emergency,” saying Israel has not allowed enough aid and essential materials into the territory, the Financial Times reported.
In a statement posted on X, the board said days of flooding had inundated tens of thousands of tents and makeshift shelters, leaving displaced Palestinians exposed to cold and unsafe conditions as winter approaches.
The board said it had warned “for months” about the risk and had repeatedly urged both Israel and Hamas to fulfill commitments under Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
“We have specifically urged the Israeli government to authorise the entry of essential materials for temporary shelter, water and sanitation infrastructure, waste management, drainage and sewage removal,” the board said, adding that Israel’s response had been “insufficient.”
It also said Hamas had been pressed to disarm and give up governing authority in Gaza.
Save the Children said Monday that about 350,000 Palestinians, most of them children, were living in tents that had flooded.
The group said more than 2,000 damaged buildings were at risk of collapse amid continued rainfall and strong winds, while children faced exposure to hypothermia and waterborne diseases.
The U.N. estimates that around 1.4 million people in Gaza, or about 65% of the population, are living in tents or makeshift shelters.
Seasonal flooding and disease have repeatedly affected Gaza during Israel’s long-running blockade.
The Board of Peace said around 60% of Gaza remains under Israeli control, while Hamas controls the remainder, where nearly all of the population lives.
Trump’s Gaza peace plan, announced last year, secured a ceasefire and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
Other parts of the plan, however, have stalled, including the establishment of an international stabilization force, a new Palestinian technocratic administration, Hamas’ disarmament, an Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction.
The Board of Peace, established in January, is intended to oversee Gaza’s redevelopment.
The Financial Times reported in May that a World Bank fund set up for the board had received no donor money despite an initial $17 billion in pledges for Gaza relief.
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, later raised concerns about what she called the board’s lack of accountability, standards and legal standing.
The humanitarian warning comes as Trump has renewed pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with the Gaza plan following Israel’s parliamentary election.
Channel 12 reported Sunday that Trump told Netanyahu during a phone call Thursday that he wanted progress regardless of which government ultimately takes office.
The plan calls for transferring Gaza’s administration to a Palestinian technocratic committee, placing weapons under international supervision, deploying an international stabilization force, carrying out a phased Israeli withdrawal and beginning reconstruction.
Implementation had largely been frozen during Israel’s election campaign as Washington sought to avoid making the issue a politically sensitive domestic matter, according to the report.
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