President Joe Biden’s pledged $100 million in U.S. aid to Gaza and the West Bank is at “high risk” of being seized by Hamas and other terrorists, an inspector general’s office warned.
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General published a report on Friday that stated humanitarian assistance to Palestinians could “fall into the hands of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) including, but not limited to, Hamas.”
On October 18, Biden announced a $100 million package to ease Gaza’s humanitarian crisis as Israel carries out attacks in the region after Hamas’s October 7 invasion. The promised aid is part of a much larger $106 billion package that Biden requested of Congress to primarily help both Israel and Ukraine in their respective wars, as well as to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians.
“USAID OIG has identified deliberate interference and efforts to divert humanitarian assistance in regions where FTO activity is prevalent,” the office’s report reads. “This includes: systemic coercion of aid workers by FTOs; imposition of taxes, duties, and fees on USAID awardees and beneficiaries; and FTO influence over beneficiary selection and internally displaced persons camp management.”
The USAID inspector general’s office also said it will work with the Department of Justice to prosecute any grant applicants who make false certifications that allow foreign terrorist organizations to get their hands on U.S. funds.
“In addition to other pre-award vetting measures, USAID requires applicants for grants or cooperative agreements to certify that in the three years prior to award, they have not knowingly engaged in transactions, or provided material support or resources to entities sanctioned under U.S. counter-terrorism regulations,” the report stated.
It cited two examples in recent years, when the federal agency sought recompense after it provided funds to applicants that went on to fund terrorist groups such as Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and three Hezbollah-affiliated organizations.
Since the Middle Eastern conflict ignited nearly a month ago, the military battles have mostly involved Israel and Hamas, although the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah is increasingly becoming a major player in the war. Its members have been engaging Israeli soldiers in limited skirmishes along the Lebanon border for weeks now, while apparently trying to avoid the breakout of a larger conflict in the region.
The Iranian-backed terrorist faction has not officially entered the conflict, as Hezbollah’s top leader said on Friday that Hezbollah should not be the one to provoke a broader war.
“For those who say that Hezbollah should start a war in the entire region, I say wait. These are the beginnings,” Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech. “More actions will be taken against Israel from several different fronts, and this issue will become more obvious in the next few days.”
Nasrallah, however, threatened to exact revenge on the U.S. for its continued support of Israel. “Let me be clear, the United States is just as responsible,” he said. “Americans have to pay; they have to pay for Israel’s slaughter.”