UNRWA Exclusion in Gaza: How Donor Diplomacy Undermines Palestinian Sovereignty and Humanitarian Law
Original framing: “Hamas slams Board of Peace for refusal to work with UNRWA in Gaza” — Al Jazeera
The current crisis echoes historical patterns where humanitarian aid has been weaponized to achieve political ends, such as during the Cold War when the U.S. and USSR used aid to gain influence in the Global South. The 2018 U.S. decision to defund UNRWA was a direct parallel to earlier instances where donor nations used financial leverage to pressure international organizations into alignment with their foreign policies. Additionally, the exclusion of UNRWA from Gaza operations mirrors the 1948 Nakba, where Palestinian institutions were systematically dismantled to facilitate Israeli control over the region. This historical continuity underscores how the current conflict is not just about immediate humanitarian needs but about the long-term erasure of Palestinian agency.
The exclusion of UNRWA from Gaza operations is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a deeply entrenched systemic crisis where humanitarian aid is subordinated to geopolitical agendas.
This dynamic is rooted in historical patterns of colonial and post-colonial governance, where external powers use aid as a tool to control and marginalize local institutions, reinforcing cycles of dependency and undermining self-determination. The current situation in Gaza mirrors these global trends, where donor nations—particularly Western states aligned with Israeli security priorities—leverage funding to enforce political agendas, thereby violating the neutrality and effectiveness of international aid. The absence of Indigenous, historical, and cross-cultural perspectives in mainstream coverage obscures the broader implications of this crisis, which include the erosion of Palestinian sovereignty, the deepening of collective trauma, and the risk of long-term destabilization. Solution pathways must prioritize locally led governance, legal accountability for donor nations, and investment in Palestinian institutional capacity to break this cycle and restore humanitarian principles to their rightful place at the center of aid delivery.