Democratic senators demand full disclosure of $30M grant for GHF aid distribution sites in Gaza, which critics dub 'death trap' due to daily casualties
US Democratic senators urged the Trump administration on Sunday to halt funding for the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) over concerns about food aid distribution and casualties.
Led by Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, 21 Democratic senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing “grave concerns” about “the US role in and financial support for the troubled GHF.”
"We urge you to immediately cease all US funding for GHF and resume support for the existing UN-led aid coordination mechanisms with enhanced oversight to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in need," the letter said.
Critics have described the US-backed GHF aid distribution sites in Gaza, which opened on May 27, as "death traps."
The letter highlighted a $30 million State Department pledge announced last month and raised concerns over GHF’s use of armed contractors at food distribution sites inside military zones, which many starving Gazans cannot safely access.
The senators questioned whether oversight was bypassed for GHF, noting reports that a “priority directive” let it avoid “a comprehensive audit that is usually required for groups receiving USAID grants for the first time.”
The senators demanded GHF’s “complete funding application and all supporting documentation,” as well as clarification on which statutory and regulatory requirements were waived to proceed with the $30 million grant.
The letter also asked the State Department about the procurement process for the $30 million funding, who signed the agreement, who may be liable for compliance issues, and whether officials knew of USAID’s concerns about GHF’s ability to protect Palestinians during food aid delivery.
"Blurring the lines between delivery of aid and security operations shatters well-established norms that have governed distribution of humanitarian aid since the ratification of the Geneva Conventions in 1949," it emphasized.
Gaza’s hunger crisis has spiraled into a humanitarian catastrophe. Harrowing footage shows severely emaciated residents, some reduced to skin and bone, collapsing from exhaustion, dehydration, and prolonged starvation.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
