US ignored internal assessment deeming Gaza aid group GHF as unsafe: CNN

Just days before the Trump administration announced a USD 30 million funding package for the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), the US Agency for International Development (USAID) privately raised serious doubts about the organization’s ability to deliver aid safely and effectively, according to a CNN report published Tuesday.

A 14-page internal USAID assessment obtained by CNN outlined multiple red flags, criticizing GHF’s funding application for lacking key details, including operational safety plans and basic oversight structures. The agency cited concerns that the group’s approach could endanger Palestinian civilians and violate core humanitarian standards.

“I do not concur with moving forward with GHF given operational and reputational risks and lack of oversight,” one USAID official concluded in the report. Among the most troubling gaps highlighted was GHF’s plan to distribute powdered baby formula in areas without access to clean water, posing a direct health risk.

Sources familiar with the funding request called the application “abysmal” and said it “sorely lacked real content.” Others raised ethical objections, with one USAID staffer warning the group could not uphold the basic humanitarian principle of “do no harm.”

Despite internal warnings, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and USAID Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programs Jeremy Lewin moved to fast-track the funding, citing urgent humanitarian and political priorities. An internal memo from USAID's Chief Financial Officer, Kenneth Jackson, dated June 24, recommended waiving normal vetting standards for GHF due to the urgency of the situation.

The State Department approved the funding just two days later. The funds have not yet been disbursed and are contingent on GHF meeting specific conditions, including addressing some of the concerns raised by USAID.

GHF, which was established earlier this year after Israel blocked humanitarian access to Gaza for nearly three months, defended its operations in a public statement. “GHF has done what others could not: deliver free, nutritious, and secure emergency food aid directly to the people of Gaza without interference from Hamas,” the group said, claiming to have delivered over 66 million meals since late May.

The group also thanked the Trump administration for recognizing its “impact,” contrasting its work with that of traditional aid organizations like the United Nations, which it accused of years of inefficiency.

However, many established humanitarian groups have condemned GHF's methods, accusing it of working in tandem with the 'Israeli' military and abandoning neutral humanitarian standards. GHF’s model replaced hundreds of small, community-based distribution points with just four large, militarized aid centers in central and southern Gaza, forcing displaced Palestinians to walk long distances through active conflict zones.

More than 170 humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, and Amnesty International, signed a joint statement on July 1 demanding an end to the “deadly” aid scheme. “Today, Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families,” the statement read.

Since GHF’s operations began on May 27, reports have emerged that 'Israeli' troops and US security contractors have killed at least 640 Palestinians attempting to access aid. Eyewitnesses and Israeli soldiers themselves have described orders to fire on unarmed civilians at aid sites.

Despite these accounts, GHF chairman Johnnie Moore, a prominent evangelical figure aligned with Trump, dismissed claims of violence. “We have not had a single violent incident in our distribution sites,” Moore told reporters earlier this month.