Washington ignored a report stating that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was not qualified to deliver aid to Gaza.

CNN reported on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, that the main US government agency responsible for distributing foreign aid raised "grave concerns" about a newly formed aid organization's ability to safely and effectively deliver food to Palestinians in Gaza, just days before the Trump administration announced $30 million in funding for the organization on June 26, 2025, the agency reported.

In June, USAID wrote a confidential 14-page internal assessment criticizing a funding request submitted by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) for $30 million of its $100 million operating costs from the State Department.

According to the assessment, which CNN said it obtained, the application failed to include at least nine elements typically required to obtain government funding, such as insufficient planning information to ensure Palestinians would actually receive aid.

One criticism was that the general plan lacked "basic details" related to a plan to distribute powdered infant formula in an area of Gaza without clean drinking water. A USAID official stated, "I do not agree to proceed with and fund the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) due to operational and reputational risks and lack of oversight," concluding that it would not be safe to proceed with the organization.

A source familiar with the GHF request told CNN, on condition of anonymity, that the documents were "poor quality" and "severely lacking in substantive content."

Another source added that USAID employees have expressed concerns about working with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), as they do not believe it can adhere to the humanitarian principle of "do no harm."

"GHF should clarify how it will adhere to the 'do no harm' principle," USAID said, asking it to provide details on safety, accountability, and access.

Despite the concerns, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and USAID Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programs Jeremy Lewin continued to push for swift approval, two sources told CNN.

Another source added that fast-track approvals are typically reserved for trusted partners, and the IFC is unlikely to secure funding under normal procedures.

After conducting the confidential assessment, Kenneth Jackson, USAID's Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Administrator for Management and Resources, recommended that Lowen "waive the various criteria given the urgent humanitarian and political nature of GHF's operations" in an internal memo dated June 24.

It's worth noting that both Lewin and Jackson oversaw budget cuts for the U.S. Agency for International Development as part of Elon Musk's Government Efficiency Management Department.

Two days later, on June 26, the State Department approved the funding, outlining the requirements for the funds, including some concerns raised by USAID.

The $30 million financing has not yet been disbursed and will be released in phases, subject to the IFC meeting key requirements.

As a State Department official suggested last week, the United States might provide more funding to the IFC as long as it continues to operate "safely, securely, and in accordance with the principles we set for it."

In response to the report, GHF said in a statement: “GHF has done what others have failed to do: provide free, nutritious, and safe emergency food assistance directly to the people of Gaza without interference from Hamas.”

The foundation added, "In just one month, we have served more than 66 million meals. We are grateful to the Trump administration for recognizing the impact of our work by committing $30 million to help expand our operations."

The foundation added that "its success stands in stark contrast to organizations that have received funding from the US government for years, including the United Nations."

GHF, supported by the United States and Israel, was established after Israel blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza for 11 weeks.

GHF's criticisms in the assessment echo those of international humanitarian relief organizations with a proven track record of safely and effectively delivering food and aid to Palestinians for decades, such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which Israel has barred from operating.

The United Nations and major aid organizations have refused to work with GHF, saying it serves Israeli military objectives and violates basic humanitarian principles.

The GHF400 plan replaced four military distribution sites across the Gaza Strip under the control of the Israeli army in central and southern Gaza, where millions have been forced to travel on foot from other parts of the Strip, risking death, in the hope of obtaining aid since it began operating on May 27.

The military sites house armed American security contractors (mercenaries) working with the Israeli occupation army. Reports indicate that both American contractors and Israeli soldiers have killed at least 640 Palestinians seeking assistance during the past six weeks of their operations.

Israeli forces admitted to deliberately shooting and killing unarmed Palestinians waiting for aid in the Gaza Strip, on direct orders from their superiors.

More than 170 NGOs called for immediate action to end the "deadly" US- and Israeli-backed GHF plan by July 1, 2025, and return to UN-led aid coordination mechanisms. "Palestinians in Gaza today face an impossible choice: starve to death or be shot while desperately trying to access food to feed their families," the NGOs said in a joint statement.

Signatories to the statement include Oxfam, Save the Children, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, and ActionAid.

GHF Chairman Johnny Moore, an evangelical Christian leader with a Christian Zionist background who is allied with US President Donald Trump, denied that any Palestinians had been killed at its sites, telling reporters earlier this month that no violence had occurred.

He said, "We have not witnessed any violent incidents at our distribution sites. We have not witnessed any violent incidents near our distribution sites." The Israeli army itself denied this, admitting that it had killed many unarmed Palestinian civilians.