Palestinian anger is mounting after the United States threw its support behind Israel’s efforts to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees across the region. The move is seen by many in Gaza as yet another blow in a campaign designed to erase their identity, silence their history, and deepen their suffering.

For Palestinians under siege, Washington’s support for the ban is not surprising—it is painfully familiar. “This is not about security or allegations,” said one Gaza resident. “It’s about removing the only agency that still sees us as people, not just numbers.”

The political assault on UNRWA comes at a time when Gaza is gripped by famine, its hospitals are collapsing, and shelters are overflowing. Humanitarian aid has never been more urgent, yet the institutions meant to protect Palestinians are being dismantled under international complicity.

Palestinian groups, including Hamas, have labelled the U.S. position as a deliberate alignment with Israel’s occupation and part of a broader strategy to suffocate Gaza. They’ve called on the international community to defend UNRWA’s mandate and to shield it from political pressure aimed at erasing the refugee question altogether.

As food runs out and hope grows thin, many here ask: if the world won’t defend even the institutions meant to protect us, who will?