The U.S. State Department has approved $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), marking the first financial support Washington has provided to the group despite growing international criticism over its operations.
Announcing the decision, State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the funding reflects the Biden administration’s continued efforts to “pursue peace in the region” and called on other nations to contribute.
“This support is simply the latest iteration of President [Donald] Trump’s and Secretary [Marco] Rubio’s pursuit of peace in the region,” Pigott told reporters during a briefing.
The GHF, a controversial private foundation backed by U.S. military contractors, began delivering aid into Gaza in late May under tight coordination with Israeli forces. Though previously supported diplomatically by the U.S., this marks the first direct financial contribution.
The foundation has come under sharp criticism from major humanitarian organisations and the United Nations, who accuse the GHF of violating basic humanitarian principles by conducting aid distribution under armed guard and in coordination with military forces. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) condemned the project, calling it “slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid” and urging for it to be dismantled immediately.
“The GHF is degrading Palestinians by design, forcing them to choose between starvation or risking their lives for minimal supplies,” the charity said in a statement.
The aid operation began after Israel imposed an 11-week blockade on food and supply deliveries into Gaza in March, triggering international warnings of famine. While limited UN deliveries have since resumed, more than 400 people have been killed near aid distribution points run by both the UN and GHF, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Since its launch, GHF operations have been marked by chaotic scenes and deadly incidents. The ministry reports nearly 550 fatalities near GHF sites alone since late May, although the foundation denies deaths occurred in the immediate vicinity of its distribution centres.
GHF’s executive director Johnnie Moore, a former Trump White House adviser, claimed in a post on X that the group has delivered over 46 million meals in Gaza. Moore, an evangelical preacher, defended the GHF’s approach and denied the allegations of misconduct.
Despite concerns over GHF’s transparency and use of private for-profit contractors, the State Department reportedly waived standard USAID auditing requirements usually imposed on first-time grantees. Multiple sources told Reuters that some U.S. officials opposed the funding, citing GHF’s inexperience and safety risks near its distribution hubs.
With Gaza facing widespread food shortages and the displacement of nearly two million people amid an ongoing Israeli military campaign, Washington is reportedly considering additional monthly grants of $30 million to the GHF.
The move underscores deepening divisions among international stakeholders over how best to provide aid to the besieged enclave without compromising humanitarian standards or civilian safety.
