Aid chief tells UN that US-backed Board of Peace is 'failing' Gaza

Aid chief tells UN that US-backed Board of Peace is 'failing' Gaza Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Thu, 08/27/2026 - 09:43 Board of Peace has 'functioned to further entrench Israel’s unlawful presence' says Athena Rayburn Two girls walk amid the rubble in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, on 25 August (AFP/Bashar Taleb) Off The head of a coalition of aid groups has warned that the US -backed Board of Peace is "failing" in Gaza and has “functioned to further entrench Israel’s unlawful presence" in the territory. Athena Rayburn, executive director of the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), told the UN Security Council that the organisation – established by US President Donald Trump and given a mandate by the council in November – was enabling Israel's obstruction of humanitarian aid. She said Israel was rejecting scissors, crutches, wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs as “dual-use” instruments, has barred specialised medical staff, and placed restrictions on engine oil so severe that it cost 45 times its normal price.