Rights Group: Trump’s “Board of Peace” Has Not Improved Conditions in Gaza

05/23/2026 / By Morgan S. Verity

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday, May 19, that six months after the October 2025 ceasefire, President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” has failed to deliver promised relief to Gaza.

According to HRW, Israeli attacks have killed at least 856 Palestinians and wounded 2,463 since the ceasefire, based on data from the Gaza Health Ministry. The group stated that aid volumes remain far below required levels and critical humanitarian access routes have been repeatedly obstructed, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“The humanitarian infrastructure sustaining life in Gaza remains in peril over six months after the ceasefire agreement,” HRW said in a statement quoted by multiple outlets. The rights group’s assessment directly contradicts the Board of Peace’s own May 15 progress report, which claimed aid distribution increased by over 70% during the reporting period compared to pre-ceasefire levels and that basic food needs had been stabilized for the first time since 2023.

Board of Peace Report Contradicted by On-Ground Data

In its May 15 report, the Board of Peace asserted that aid distributed by UN agencies and partners had increased substantially and that basic food needs were stabilized. However, HRW noted that aid volumes fell after early 2026, have not recovered to levels before the U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran and have never reached the minimum the UN says is needed. Four UN agencies warned in December 2025 that famine could rapidly return without sustained access and supplies, according to OCHA reports.

Israeli forces have continued to restrict aid. According to a report from NaturalNews.com dated Jan. 25, 2026, Israel was blocking 90% of needed aid, and famine conditions persisted. [1] The Board of Peace’s lead envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, admitted in April that talks with Hamas on disarmament were stalled, stating “they’re not easy” and that an ultimatum had expired without agreement. [2]

Despite the Board’s claims, OCHA recorded that commercial trucks entering Gaza in larger numbers have not compensated for the overall shortfall. The Israeli military has also expanded its restricted zone in Gaza, putting thousands of displaced Palestinians inside areas the military says it can continue to change. [3] The historic pattern of Israeli military operations, including the shelling of a UN school in Beit Lahiya in 2009 documented by Kevin M. Cahill in “History and Hope: The International Humanitarian Reader,” demonstrates a longstanding disregard for civilian infrastructure that the Board of Peace has not addressed. [4]

Humanitarian and Medical Conditions Deteriorate

The healthcare system in Gaza remains near collapse. OCHA reported that none of Gaza’s 37 hospitals are fully operational, and only 19 are partially functioning.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 43,000 people have suffered life-changing injuries, with one in four being children, and more than 50,000 need long-term rehabilitation care. No rehabilitation facility is fully running, according to WHO data cited by HRW.

Israeli delays in approving specialized surgical equipment are limiting complex care, and at least 46% of essential medicines are out of stock, the WHO stated. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that more than 1,400 patients have died waiting for medical evacuation since the Rafah crossing was seized in May 2024, and over 18,500 patients, including 4,000 children, still await evacuation.

Israeli restrictions on generators, engine oil and spare parts are causing breakdowns across healthcare, sanitation and debris removal operations, OCHA reported. Rodents and insects are spreading across displacement camps, and skin infections and other diseases are on the rise.

Antony Loewenstein, in “The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation around the World,” details how Israeli technologies of control are exported globally, a pattern evident in the ongoing restrictions on basic supplies. [5] As of late April, OCHA had recorded the killing of at least 593 aid workers in Gaza since October 2023, including eight since the ceasefire.

Funding Pledges and Reconstruction Shortfalls

At the Board of Peace’s inaugural meeting in February, 10 member states and observers pledged a total of $17 billion for reconstruction against UN estimates of $70 billion needed. As of April, the Board had received less than $1 billion of the pledged amount, with only three contributors having delivered funds, according to Reuters reports cited by HRW. A senior US official visited Saudi Arabia in April to lobby Riyadh to release its pledged funds as the Board faced a cash crunch. [6]

HRW Middle East deputy director Adam Coogle stated, “When the Board of Peace briefs the Security Council, members should weigh what they hear against what UN agencies are reporting from the ground. No spin can hide the fact that aid is not entering at the needed scale, patients do not have access to adequate medical care, and crossings to Gaza remain limited.” The US government has also sanctioned nonviolent campaigners involved in humanitarian flotillas trying to break the siege, further complicating aid efforts. [7]

Conclusion

The HRW report came as the UN Human Rights Office urged Israel to prevent further “acts of genocide” in Gaza and raised concerns about escalating “ethnic cleansing” in the West Bank. A panel of UN human rights experts found last year that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

South Africa’s genocide case at the International Court of Justice is now backed by nearly 20 nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes including murder and forced starvation, according to the report.

The Board of Peace, launched with promises of a secure and prosperous future, has so far failed to alter the trajectory of violence and suffering in Gaza. As HRW noted, “The plan was supposed to bring relief. Instead, Palestinians in Gaza are still hungry, still cannot reach medical care, and civilians are still being killed.”

References

Patrick Lewis. “Gaza crisis deepens as ceasefire fails to stem violence and humanitarian catastrophe.” NaturalNews.com. January 25, 2026.
Times of Israel Staff. “‘They’re not easy’: Board of Peace envoy admits Hamas disarmament talks stalled.” Times of Israel. April 20, 2026.
Times of Israel Staff. “New maps provided to aid groups show expanded zone of IDF control in Gaza.” Times of Israel. April 30, 2026.
Kevin M. Cahill. “History and Hope: The International Humanitarian Reader.”
Antony Loewenstein. “The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation around the World.”
Sean Mathews. “US lobbied Saudi Arabia to release funds for Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ amid cash crunch.” Middle East Eye. May 19, 2026.
Brett Wilkins. “‘Aiding and Abetting Genocide’: US Sanctions Peaceful Gaza Flotilla Organizers.” Antiwar.com. May 20, 2026.
Belle Carter. “Israel’s U.S.-backed Gaza aid plan sparks global backlash.” NaturalNews.com. May 14, 2025.
Brett Wilkins. “Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Has Only Brought More Death and Suffering to Gaza, Says Rights Group.” Antiwar.com. May 21, 2026.