UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law

Not merely a philosophical concept, human dignity is a legal and moral imperative—especially in times of conflict, mass displacement, and ethnic cleansing. Looking to the ongoing Gaza Genocide, the denial of dignity and humanitarian aid has become a calculated weapon of war. This Article builds on dignity frameworks and contemporary human rights law to argue that humanitarian aid is an obligation rooted in law and the inherent dignity of the Palestinian people. It critiques the Israeli occupation’s deliberate withholding of aid as a way to dehumanize Palestinians, while also exploring the legal, philosophical, and practical dimensions of how dignity-centered aid can restore not just survival, but agency and justice.

Gazans have endured decades of illegal besiegement where they are both recipients of heavily restricted aid and victims of a system designed to strip them of their autonomy. Israeli officials have explicitly weaponized aid; Defense Minister Yoav Gallant even declared, “We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly,” reinforcing the legacy of dehumanization. Such rhetoric serves to not only justify the withholding of aid, but to erase Palestinian humanity altogether. In contrast, international law reaffirms the right to aid, “The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire. We must ensure the unimpeded provision of lifesaving aid to civilians, in line with international law, said UN Secretary- General António Guterres.

This Article: (1) builds on human rights law and human dignity frameworks to establish human dignity as a compelling moral and legal foundation for aid in Gaza during the ongoing Genocide; (2) reframes dignity as a justification for intervention under international law, addressing philosophical dimensions; (3) critiques the Israeli occupation’s denial of dignity to Palestinians, demonstrating how aid can reinforce power imbalances; and (4) proposes dignity-based reforms for equitable humanitarian intervention, addressing the structural indignities imposed by decades of occupation.