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“Youthful Hopefuls Overcome Rejection to Serve Citizens of Gaza: How UN, Aid Groups Have Failed

The fate of the Palestinian people has been a constant source of turmoil for decades now, and the Middle East conflict continues to plague the region today. Amidst the constant cycle of violence, the rise of a new generation of anti-Hamas activists is an encouraging sight. This fresh wave of young Gazans is determined to serve their people but are being snubbed by UN-funded aid groups. The current situation in Gaza has been precarious for the past two decades, and it has been heavily impacted by the Hamas’ militant presence in the area. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has made life difficult and put a stranglehold on the economy of the Gaza Strip. This in turn has had a massive impact on the youth of the area as well, with many left without proper education or resources. All this has created conditions which fuel dissent and activists groups have started to flourish. One such group is the Youth Against Hamas (YAH) which is the most prominent group among Gaza’s youthful anti-Hamas demographic. From organizing protests to street campaigns, YAH and its members have taken a stand against the Hamas-led government, demanding an end to its militant rule. The youth activists have been doing their best to provide aid and supplies to the people in need. But, unfortunately, not all of the aid groups are open to these suggestions. The United Nations, which is the main provider of aid to this area, is not open to working with YAH or any other anti-Hamas activists. This is because the UN does not want to be seen as being involved in any kind of political or militant activities. The YAH activists have resorted to putting out their own relief efforts and protests to help the people affected by the situation in Gaza, but this has not been enough. The people in the area are still suffering from the lack of resources and aid and it seems that the UN is not willing to budge on their decision to not work with these anti-Hamas activists. The emergence of a new generation of youth activists is a positive sign and offers hope to the people of Gaza. But, at the same time, these activists are being snubbed by the very same aid groups through which they could be making a difference. It is unfortunate that the UN is so unwilling to cooperate with these youth activists and that the Palestinian people are not getting the aid and resources that they need.