US watchdog probes Gaza aid group

The U.S. State Department’s internal watchdog is investigating the now-defunct Gaza Humanitarian Foundation over its use of emergency aid money, the Jerusalem Post reported on May 21, citing a Financial Times report based on three people familiar with the inquiry. The reported probe centers on a $30 million grant announced last June for the U.S.- and Israel-backed group, which distributed aid in Gaza. The Office of Inspector General did not confirm the specific investigation, according to the report, but pointed to a broader February 2026 audit of the department’s food-assistance efforts in Gaza and the West Bank. ### What is the watchdog said to be examining inside the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation? The reported inquiry is focused on “what money was spent and how,” including which funding stream it came from and how it was disbursed, the Jerusalem Post said, attributing that detail to one of the people cited by the Financial Times. The report also said aid pricing and other services purchased with State Department funds were under scrutiny. (jpost.com) A GHF spokesperson, speaking anonymously in the Jerusalem Post account, said the organization was not aware of the inquiry and said food had been bought at “reasonable prices.” Two people familiar with GHF’s operations said State Department funding was used to buy food and logistics, while another person said the group had paid “significantly more for food than the US had previously paid in the region,” according to the same report. (jpost.com) ### What public oversight is already underway at the State Department? The State Department inspector general announced in February 2026 that it had initiated an audit of the department’s efforts to provide food assistance to the West Bank and Gaza. The stated objective is to determine whether the department developed and implemented an effective structure to provide food assistance to civilians and whether those awards are achieving intended results. (jpost.com) On July 1, 2025, Secretary of State responsibilities shifted so that the department took over administration of U.S. foreign assistance that included at least $768.4 million in food assistance to Gaza and the West Bank, according to the inspector general’s project announcement. The watchdog said the audit would assess how the department adapted to those management responsibilities, addressed risks tied to delivery and oversight, and used monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. (stateoig.gov) ### Why is the aid system in Gaza under wider pressure now? Human Rights Watch said on May 19 that Gaza’s humanitarian infrastructure remained “in peril” more than six months after the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. The group said aid volumes were still below required levels, key access routes had been obstructed, and at least 856 Palestinians had been killed and 2,463 wounded during continuing Israeli attacks, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. (stateoig.gov) Human Rights Watch also said trucks entering Gaza fell from a weekly average of 4,200 to 590 after Israeli authorities closed all crossings on February 28, 2026, at the start of Israeli-U.S. military operations against Iran, citing U.S. military coordination figures reported by Haaretz. Kerem Shalom partially reopened on March 3, and Kerem Shalom and Zikim remained the only operational entry points for humanitarian and commercial goods, the group said. (hrw.org) ### What has the World Health Organization said about aid-worker and evacuation risks? The World Health Organization said on April 10 that it had suspended support for medical evacuations from Gaza after a security incident in which a person contracted to provide services to WHO in Gaza was killed. WHO said evacuations could resume on April 12 after it received commitments from relevant parties on the safety of patients and staff. (hrw.org) WHO said its role in the Ministry of Health-led evacuation process was limited to coordination and logistics and that it had no role in prioritizing which patients were approved to leave Gaza. The agency said it was looking into concerns raised online about how evacuations were conducted. ### What comes next in the oversight process? (emro.who.int) The February 2026 inspector general audit remains active on the State OIG website and names the department offices involved in Gaza food assistance oversight, including the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and the Office of Foreign Assistance. The Jerusalem Post report said the separate reported inquiry concerns the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s $30 million grant and related spending decisions. (emro.who.int) Any formal findings would most likely emerge through inspector general audit or investigative outputs, hotline referrals, or department responses tied to the ongoing Gaza food-assistance review. For now, the clearest public milestone is the State OIG audit opened in February 2026, which is still listed as ongoing. (stateoig.gov 1) (stateoig.gov 2)