Board of Peace tells Israel to act now as floods hit Gaza's tent camps

Heavy rain has turned Gaza's tent camps into mud and floodwater. Now the Board of Peace, the body set up by US President Donald Trump, says Israel must act immediately.

What happened?

On Monday the board said the situation is no longer just an imminent winter threat. In its words, it has become "an urgent humanitarian emergency".

Over the past two days, torrential rain swept away tens of thousands of tents sheltering displaced people. At least five people were killed, according to authorities run by Hamas.

The board said it had already warned Israel, which controls every crossing into Gaza, to prepare for winter and seasonal flooding. It urged Israeli authorities to allow in and ease the entry of "all necessary supplies", and to fully carry out the commitments made under Trump's 2025 plan to end the war.

What does Israel say?

Shortly before the statement, the Israeli army said it had let more than 8,200 trucks into Gaza, carrying supplies that included 91,000 tents. The board still called those steps "insufficient".

Israel, for its part, blames Hamas for the flooding. Its foreign ministry said on X on Sunday that Hamas should not escape responsibility "every time it rains", arguing the group should have invested in infrastructure rather than weapons.

The board also called on Hamas to honour its own commitments under the ceasefire deal.

What came before?

The board was first created to oversee the truce in Gaza and the territory's reconstruction, though its aims have since widened. The ceasefire took effect in October 2025, but Israel has carried on striking Gaza almost daily since.

The flooding follows other recent incidents in the camps. Earlier, a sand collapse buried the tents of displaced families in Deir al-Balah, and Egyptian relief teams have since spent days shoring up flooded camps.

What's next?

The board has not set out new steps beyond its call for Israel to act at once. With winter only beginning, more rain is expected to test camps that are already waterlogged and overcrowded.