In the 14 months since Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 254 hostages during its Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israel, evidence of Western aid dollars enriching terrorist organizations and operatives in Gaza has grown. The United Nations and donor countries have been slow to accept this evidence or make changes to their operational partners and methods.
On Dec. 11, 2024, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs made a flash appeal for $4.07 billion to support U.N., NGO, and international NGO partners operating in Gaza and the West Bank in 2025. Watchdog group NGO Monitor has noted myriad issues with the appeal, including a lack of transparency about the partner organizations and agencies it operates with, and no discussion of methods to “prevent, or even mitigate [aid] diversion by Hamas and other armed actors.”
Yona Schiffmiller, Director of Research at NGO Monitor, told the Washington Examiner that OCHA’s lack of transparency is problematic because “a lot of the groups that are involved with distributing the aid, with handling the aid, have links to terrorism.” This means that “even if the top line seems like a worthy cause, the trickle down to terror-linked actors is something that we see throughout the system.”
One of the largest OCHA appeal recipients has been the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Despite mounting proof that UNRWA leaders and members share connections with terrorist groups and that intolerance is being taught in UNRWA schools, OCHA stands firmly against what it calls “attacks” on the agency. Mistrust in UNRWA has led to multiple countries, including the U.S., pulling their funding. OCHA has previously granted $682 million to UNRWA, and will likely provide more, insisting that failure to fund UNRWA could have “potential adverse consequences for stability in the region.”
Another international aid group that netted $2 million from OCHA flash appeals is World Central Kitchen. 7 members of the organization were killed in an accidental Israeli strike last April. But on Nov. 30, the Israel Defense Forces killed a member of Hamas who was employed by World Central Kitchen. After the incident, the organization fired 62 employees who Israel found had links to militant groups.
NGO Monitor also flagged the following groups that received funding from OCHA appeals since 2023 despite having terrorist ties or being linked with aid diversion schemes:
World Vision, the recipient of $1.6 million, whose Gaza manager of operations was convicted in 2022 of diverting aid and material for over a decade. Islamic Relief Worldwide, with which the State Department cut ties in 2021 on account of “anti-Semitism exhibited repeatedly by IRW’s leadership.” Palestinian NGO Network, “at least five” of whose members have ties to terrorist organizations designated by the European Union. Al-Awda Health and Community Association, which was determined by the USAID to be the “[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s] health organization” in 1993. Norwegian People’s Aid, which has been accused of providing “material support” to Hamas, the PFLP, and Iran by the Department of Justice, and settled a suit with DOJ and USAID in 2018.Should the U.S. help fund the OCHA appeal, Schiffmiller said he believes it can oversee where funds are disbursed, but explained that “when there’s no transparency, it’s very difficult to understand the nature of the oversight being exercised.”
Transparency about the recipients of U.S. aid in the region has been lacking. Throughout 2024, the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development provided around $200 million to “miscellaneous foreign awardees” for about a dozen projects in Gaza and the West Bank. This represented “dramatically increased funding” with “drastically decreased transparency,” according to NGO Monitor.
A State Department spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that “all U.S. assistance in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem is provided in a manner consistent with U.S. law and through experienced, vetted, and trusted partners.” The spokesperson further explained that “risk mitigation measures for U.S. assistance to the West Bank and Gaza include counterterrorism partner vetting, anti-terrorism certifications that require organizations to certify compliance with anti-terrorism laws, and mandatory anti-terrorism clause provisions in grants and contracts. Assistance is subject to Office of Inspector General audits and investigations.”
Still, the U.S. government has itself raised alarm bells about the possibility of aid being utilized by malign actors. USAID’s Office of the Inspector General found in August 2024 that USAID was not “consistently perform[ing] expected due diligence” with organizations including the UN-affiliated World Food Programme, World Bank, and UNICEF. The OIG concluded that this shortcoming could “potentially lead … to serious issues including diversion of funds or goods,” that might benefit “designated terrorist organizations.”
Schiffmiller said that NGO Monitor is “in the midst of trying to formulate policy recommendations” that would help donors determine best practices for supporting Palestinians without their funds being diverted by terrorists. Their preliminary recommendations “dealt with improving the vetting” for both beneficiaries of aid and the partner organizations leading projects.
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The impact of aid that supported the terrorist groups that conducted the Oct. 7 attacks was not borne solely by Israel. The day’s victims belonged to over 30 countries and included 45 Americans. Another 12 Americans were taken hostage. With the announcement in December that Omer Neutra is no longer alive, three are still believed to remain in Hamas control.
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance contributor to Fox News and the co-host of The Afghanistan Project, which takes a deep dive into the tragedy wrought in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.