A July report by The Press Service of Israel found that 85% of aid entering Gaza since May 19 was stolen.
By Shula Rosen
Humanitarian aid designed to relieve suffering in war zones can instead prolong the very conflicts it aims to resolve, according to new research from Hebrew University.
Law professor Netta Barak-Corren and Dr. Jonathan Boxman analyzed prolonged crises in Somalia, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Gaza.
Their peer-reviewed study, published Tuesday in the Social Science Research Network, concludes that aid diversion is not an occasional mishap but a structural flaw in the current humanitarian system.
The researchers found that in many cases, large portions of aid never reach intended recipients, siphoned away through theft, inflated beneficiary lists, informal taxes, or direct concessions to armed groups.
In Somalia, militias and “gatekeepers” intercept aid, with some camps existing only on paper.
In Afghanistan, international organizations have long paid Taliban taxes and accepted staffing restrictions.
In Syria, currency rules allowed the Assad regime to seize nearly half the value of foreign aid before distribution.
The study cites evidence from Gaza that Hamas has filled nearly half of UNRWA positions with loyalists and levied a 20–25% tax on aid deliveries.
A July report by The Press Service of Israel found that 85% of aid entering Gaza since May 19 was stolen, leaving supplies either on the black market or priced beyond most residents’ reach.
Barak-Corren warned that aid often reaches civilians only after being diverted by armed factions and corrupt elites, undermining the principles of neutrality and independence.
The authors argue that reform may require stricter conditions, delivery through accountable security forces, or even suspending aid where diversion cannot be stopped.
“Unless we confront how aid is manipulated,” she said, “we risk perpetuating the very crises we aim to resolve.”
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