Washington has long backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation diplomatically, but this is the first known U.S. government financial contribution to the organization, which uses private U.S. military and logistics firms to transport aid into the Palestinian enclave for distribution at so-called secure sites.
The United States could approve additional monthly grants of $30 million for the GHF, said two of the sources, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity.
Israel’s embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the $30 million U.S. grant.
Such an audit “would normally take many, many weeks if not months,“ said one source, who is a former senior U.S. official.
VIOLENCE CONCERNS
Some U.S. officials opposed giving any U.S. funds to the foundation over concerns about violence near aid distribution sites, the GHF’s inexperience and the involvement of the for-profit U.S. logistics and private military firms, said the four sources.
“The majority of the casualties have been shot or shelled trying to reach U.S.-Israeli distribution sites purposefully set up in militarized zones,“ said senior U.N. aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, Jonathan Whittall, on Sunday.
In response, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said on Tuesday that it had so far delivered 40 million meals in Gaza but that the U.N. and other groups were having difficulty distributing aid due to looting of their trucks and warehouses.
“Bottom-line, our aid is getting securely delivered. Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome the U.N. and other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza. We are ready to collaborate and help them get their aid to people in need,“ a GHF spokesperson said. Earlier this month it halted aid deliveries for a day as it pressed Israel to boost civilian safety near its distribution sites after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed. It says there have been no incidents at its sites.
The U.N. has long described its aid operation in Gaza as opportunistic - hindered by Israel’s military operation, access restrictions by Israel into and throughout Gaza, and looting by armed gangs. The U.N. has stressed that when people know there is a steady flow of aid, the looting subsides.
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