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The United Nations recently estimated that an additional in humanitarian assistance is urgently needed for people in and around the Gaza Strip. The United States has pledged to provide听; and have each pledged听. China, the world's second-largest economy, has pledged just over .听

The level of humanitarian need in the West Bank and Gaza is immense. To be clear, it was high long before Hamas launched its terrorist strikes on Israel on October 7. In January 2023, the that more than $500 million was needed for its West Bank/Gaza humanitarian response plan based on its calculation that approximately 2.1 million people there鈥攊ncluding 1 million children鈥攚ere in need of humanitarian assistance. Before the attacks, aid organizations told听 magazine that approximately 500 trucks of humanitarian and commercial supplies were coming into Gaza from Israel each day to help address the crisis. Secretary Blinken testified before Congress that the US would like to see up to 100 trucks of assistance enter Gaza daily. But perhaps the clearest evidence of the level of need came in late July when thousands of to the chronic power outages and poor living conditions they were suffering under Hamas control.听

The shortfalls were made even worse, argues Israel and others, by the levels of assistance being diverted or , keeping it from reaching Palestinians in need. In the wake of Israel鈥檚 announcement that it would allow more trucks filled with humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza, Israeli leaders鈥攖ogether with the Biden administration, Egypt, the UN, and others鈥攈ave put in place new inspection measures aimed at preventing fuel and other supplies from being captured by Hamas.听

As these moves are made, it鈥檚 important to understand where aid is鈥攁nd is not鈥攃oming from. Humanitarian assistance is a distinct form of assistance. It is not development assistance, but assistance, in the words of the US Agency for International Development, to 鈥渟ave lives, alleviate human suffering, and reduce the impact of disasters by helping people in need to become more resilient to humanitarian crises.鈥� Other than measures aimed at preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, humanitarian assistance is largely offered without condition or expectation of anything in return. In other words, unlike the way China approaches much of its development support, it should never take the form of loans or financing.听

The US is far and away the world's largest donor of humanitarian assistance. According to the Financial Tracking Service of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the US provided of its global funding in 2022. Germany was second at just under 13%, and the European Commission was third at 7.6%. Middle Eastern donors fell further down the list, with Saudi Arabia at 2.2% and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 1.2%. Neither China nor Russia made OCHA鈥檚 list of top 20 humanitarian assistance donors.

Prior to the start of the Hamas-Israel war, the list of top humanitarian donors specifically for the West Bank-Gaza included the European commission, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and the UAE. The US alone was providing food assistance to more than 1.2 million people in West Bank/Gaza. Since the war began, a small group of nations (including Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, India, Tunisia, and Rwanda) have sent to the region in anticipation of the opportunity to deliver it into Gaza.

There鈥檚 no doubt that people in West Bank/Gaza have profound humanitarian needs鈥攁nd have for some time. It is appropriate to ask questions about the barriers that prevent assistance from entering Gaza, and where that assistance goes once it does. It is right to be outraged at Hamas and others who have prevented听 portions of assistance and supplies from reaching the people it was intended for鈥擯alestinians in great need.听

But it鈥檚 vitally important that it doesn鈥檛 stop there. Countries need to open their wallets, and provide humanitarian assistance for those in need. According to OCHA, as of October 27, only about $107 million worth of pledges have accorded in response to the flash appeal from October 12鈥攋ust 37% of what鈥檚 required.听

For years, too many countries have ignored poverty and need鈥攏ot only in West Bank and Gaza, but elsewhere in the region. It is long past time to provide the support needed to truly alleviate suffering.