Netanyahu's office cites 91 thousand tents in reply to Gaza winter aid criticism

The office of Interim Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back on Tuesday against criticism from the US-backed Board of Peace and several other countries over Israeli limits on aid entering the Gaza Strip. The Times of Israel reported that the office, in a statement issued in English, said Israel was doing what it could to let winter equipment in, and that it was Hamas, not Israel, that had failed to keep its commitments.

According to Ynet, the criticism centred on a claim that Israel was holding up the delivery of essential winter supplies to the territory. The Prime Minister's Office rejected that claim, laid responsibility on Hamas, and set out a winter preparedness plan that it said includes more than 91 thousand tents and thousands of trucks of equipment.

What the statement says is going in

Barak Ravid, a correspondent for the US outlet Axios, posted the details of the plan on X. According to the statement as he relayed it, Israel helped advance the plan through the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military body that handles civilian affairs and the passage of goods into Gaza and the West Bank. The office said the plan was coordinated with the Board of Peace, the United Nations, international organisations and donor countries. Its listed components are:

• More than 91 thousand tents.
• More than 8,200 trucks carrying tarpaulins, blankets, winter clothing and other equipment.
• 12 sewage trucks for pumping and removing wastewater.
• Repairs to water and sewage networks, plus fuel to run pumping facilities.

The office said Israel would keep supporting winter preparations in the Strip, while insisting that Hamas must not be allowed to use humanitarian goods to rebuild its capabilities.

Disarmament before reconstruction

The statement framed the aid dispute within the US ceasefire framework. The office said Israel was working closely with Washington and the Board of Peace and described itself as committed to the success of President Donald Trump's 20-point plan. As The Times of Israel reported, the office stressed that under that plan Hamas is required to give up its weapons before rebuilding in Gaza starts.

The office said Israel had hoped Hamas would honour its pledge to disarm, demilitarise, leave power and begin a process of de-radicalising Gaza. "To date, Hamas has not surrendered a single weapon," the statement said.

Accusations against Hamas and the UN

Ynet reported that the office also accused Hamas of diverting humanitarian assistance for military use, and charged that the United Nations and UNRWA, the UN agency that serves Palestinian refugees, were ignoring this. The statement as reported did not include supporting evidence for the diversion claim.

The setting

The Board of Peace is the international body, backed by the United States, involved in overseeing the Gaza arrangements under the Trump plan. Its public criticism of Israel's handling of aid is notable because Israel presents itself as a close partner of that body. The dispute comes as winter conditions affect displaced Gazans: a Times of Israel photograph dated November 7, 2026 showed tents housing displaced families during heavy rain and flooding in Gaza City.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports quotes the Board of Peace's criticism in full or carries any reply from the board or the other countries to Israel's statement. The reports do not say how much of the listed equipment has already entered Gaza and how much is still planned. No response from Hamas, the UN or UNRWA to the accusations is reported, and the diversion allegation remains a claim by the Prime Minister's Office.