![Displaced Palestinians struggle to maintain their daily lives under difficult conditions due to cold weather at a UNRWA shelter in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza on January 20, 2026. [Saeed M. M. T. Jaras - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/AA-20260120-40314388-40314368-DISPLACED_PALESTINIANS_ENDURE_HARSH_CONDITIONS_AT_UNRWA_SHELTER_IN_GAZA.jpg)
Humanitarian aid, wherever it comes from is, is becoming murkier. The only clear aspect about humanitarian aid is that each scheme announced signifies a bid for political influence at the expense of the forcibly displaced population of Gaza. US Ambassador to the UN Jeff Bartos recently urged UNRWA donors to fund the Board of Peace instead, in a bid to oust UNRWA completely and render the agency irrelevant to Palestinian refugees. The bid, of course, is futile, since UNRWA was created specifically to cater for Palestinian refugees. Despite all the discrepancies it operates from as a result of diplomacy and enforced neutrality, UNRWA is still part of the Palestinian refugees’ narrative, as well as a vital component of the international […]