Hamas Urges Trump's Board of Peace to Halt Israeli Attacks in Gaza, Warns Against Becoming War Shield
Gaza — Hamas has urged the Board of Peace (BOP), established by US President Donald Trump, to pressure Israel into halting ongoing violations of the US-mediated Gaza agreement reached last October.
The BOP was scheduled to hold its first official meeting on Thursday in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Palestinians in the war-ravaged territory continue to await the full implementation of the second phase of the peace agreement.
“The genocidal war against the Gaza Strip continues through killings, displacement, siege, and starvation, and it has not stopped to this day,” said Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem in a video statement, as quoted by Al Jazeera on Thursday, 19 February 2026.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel took effect on 10 October 2025. At least 1,600 others have been wounded by Israeli artillery fire, gunfire, and airstrikes.
Lift the blockade
Qassem also called on the Trump-created board to facilitate the entry of a selected technocratic committee to govern the devastated Gaza Strip and to initiate large-scale reconstruction efforts to end the suffering of Gaza’s population.
“We call for the blockade on Gaza to be lifted and for crossings to be fully opened, not just the very limited partial openings… accompanied by violations by the occupation against those crossing,” he said.
He also warned Israeli authorities against using the board as a shield to continue the war in Gaza and obstruct the reconstruction process.
On Tuesday, Al Jazeera sources reported that Israeli artillery had shelled the Tuffah area of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli tanks also fired heavy machine guns in the southern city of Khan Younis.
There were no immediate reports of casualties following those attacks.
Continuing obstacles
Earlier, a wounded victim was rushed to al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, central Gaza, after an Israeli drone targeted a group of civilians in al-Maghraqa.
Israeli warships also fired at fishermen off the Gaza coast and detained two Palestinians. The Israeli military was reported to be continuing the demolition of residential areas in both the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip.