In the wake of the Trump administration’s push to upend USAID and retain less than one percent of its workforce, a recent report by the Middle East Forum (MEF) has revealed that the agency has funneled millions of dollars to Palestinian terror supporting organizations. Some examples include:
Bayader Association for Environment and Development
USAID gave Bayader over $900,000 in funding since 2016. According to MEF, Bayader is a “Gaza-based terror charity.” In February 2023, Bayader joined with Islamic Relief to organize “an event with senior Hamas officials in the Gazan city of Khan Yunis,” where Bayader staff “embraced” senior Hamas officials including the son of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. According to Bayader’s 2021 annual report, it has coordinated and met with several Hamas operatives including those within its Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of Works. Bayader’s financial director also mourned the death of the arch-terrorist Ahmed Abu Deka of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
American Near East Refugee Agency (ANERA)
USAID has approved the transfer of tens of millions of dollars to ANERA, including a $12.5 million grant in 2024. ANERA is a partner of Bayader. ANERA also funded the Islamic University of Gaza, a “key Hamas outpost.” Additionally, the Israel Law Center found that ANERA funded kindergartens that promoted Palestinian Islamic Jihad propaganda. ANERA staff have also been on the record inciting violence against Jews.
Unlimited Friends Association (UFA)
ANERA has also provided USAID funds to the UFA, which MEF determined was “a Hamas proxy organization” that gives money to the families of terrorists. UFA “promotes violently anti-Semitic rhetoric across its social media pages,” and its staff have associated with senior Hamas leaders. UFA has also invited multiple Hamas leaders to its offices.
Islamic Relief
USAID has approved $2 million in funding to Islamic Relief, a charitable institution linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Islamic Relief has repeatedly partnered with senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad, who stated that Hamas would repeat the attacks of October 7 until Israel is eliminated. Islamic Relief in the Netherlands donated $200,000 to a project in Khan Younis that was carried out “in close cooperation with the Hamas government.” Islamic Relief also works closely with Al-Falah Benevolent Society in Gaza, which is a Hamas charity. In 2020, the US State Department warned of the “blatant and horrifying anti-Semitism and glorification of violence exhibited at the most senior levels of Islamic Relief Worldwide.”
Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD)
USAID approved $188,000 in grants to HHRD, a charitable institution linked to Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). HHRD partnered with Al-Khidmat Foundation in Pakistan over 200 times, with the Foundation admitting to giving six million rupees to Hamas for its “just jihad.” ICNA’s website has also linked to the websites of Hamas and Hezbollah and other jihadi groups. HHRD is also a partner of UFA in Gaza.
Islamic Relief Agency (and World Vision)
USAID has provided nearly $2 billion in grants to World Vision since 2008, $200 million of which was approved in 2024. In 2022, an Israeli court sentenced World Vision’s Gaza manager of operations for terror financing charges, with Israel initially claiming that he funneled $50 million to Hamas.
Given the significant amount of money that USAID has funneled to Palestinian terror-adjacent organizations, the Trump administration is making the right move in fundamentally changing the agency. Rather than serving to enable terrorism, any future aid to the Palestinians should serve American interests.
