Is it permissible to give zakat to poor relatives such as a brother, sister, paternal uncle, or paternal aunt?

Paying Zakat to needy relatives is better because it is both a charity and an act of maintaining kinship ties. However, if these relatives are among those whose maintenance is obligatory upon the Zakat payer, then it is not permissible to give them from Zakat to protect wealth. But if the Zakat payer is unable to support them, it is permissible to give them from Zakat. Similarly, it is permissible to pay Zakat to settle the debts of relatives, even if the debtor is a son or a father, because settling debt is not obligatory upon the relative.