Child runs away as Israeli munitions strike Gaza refugee camp
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CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
US government review found no evidence of widespread Hamas theft of Gaza aid
The Middle East Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow An internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, contradicting the State Department's claims that were used to justify backing a controversial private organization that took over aid distribution in the enclave. The analysis, conducted by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), looked into 156 incidents of waste, fraud, and abuse reported by partner organizations between October 2023 and May 2025. The review of the incidents, which was first reported by Reuters, 'found no affiliations' with sanctioned groups or foreign terrorist organizations, according to a presentation seen by CNN. 'There was no indication that there was a systemic loss due to Hamas interference or theft or diversion,' a source familiar with the report told CNN. The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed there is widespread theft of humanitarian aid by Hamas. They have said that only the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a private US and Israel-backed organization, is able to distribute assistance to the besieged enclave without such theft occurring. 'We want to see as much aid getting into Gaza as possible in a way that is not being looted by Hamas, and this mechanism, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been a way to do that,' State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Thursday. 'We're calling for additional support of that foundation to deliver that aid.' The USAID findings were presented to officials working in the State Department's Middle East bureau, as well as people working on humanitarian aid and the USAID Office of the Inspector General. USAID ceased operations on July 1 and some of its work was transferred to the State Department. However, the USAID watchdog remains operational. It is unclear if the findings have been relayed to State Department leadership. More than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and the United Nations, with 60% killed while trying to reach GHF sites. Thousands are suffering from malnutrition and more than a dozen people have starved to death this week amid ongoing Israeli restrictions on aid. A State Department spokesperson claimed there is 'endless video evidence of Hamas looting' and 'intelligence' showing that 'a significant portion of non-GHF aid trucks have been diverted, looted, stolen, or 'self-distributed.'' The spokesperson did not provide examples of the video evidence. They also accused aid workers of lying about looting 'in a poor attempt at an aid corruption coverup.' 'As the situation on the ground develops, we will continue to assess the most effective way to deliver aid to the people of Gaza,' the spokesperson said. The USAID analysis, which was completed in late June, noted that 'the majority of incidents could not be definitively attributed to a specific actor.' 'Partners often largely discovered that commodities had been stolen in transit without identifying the perpetrator,' the presentation said. Given the perpetrator could not be identified, it is possible that Hamas has stolen aid, two sources said. However, they cast doubt on the idea that there would be systemic theft without any evidence. Humanitarian officials in the past have also said they did not experience widespread diversion. One of the sources noted that USAID does not vet the beneficiaries of its aid, so in theory, the families of Hamas government officials in Gaza could have received aid, 'but that's not an armed faction of Hamas. That's the population of Gaza.' The USAID analysis found that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) 'was either directly or indirectly responsible for the loss' of US-provided aid in 28% of incidents of theft or waste between October 2023 and May 2025. The finding was based on the reports from partners organizations. According to a presentation of the analysis, this included the loss of goods due to 'airstrikes, evacuation orders, or IDF direction to use high risk delivery routes against partner requests.' 'Partners often noted that looting occurred en route (to distribution sites) despite extensive coordination with the IDF,' the presentation said. 'When partners desired to take alternate routes due to high risk of theft or looting, they were forced by the IDF to take riskier routes with known threats putting commodities at risk.' CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
US-led forces kill senior IS leader in Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A raid by U.S.-led forces in northwestern Syria on Friday killed a senior leader in the Islamic State militant group, the U.S. military said Friday. The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that it had killed IS leader Dhiya Zawba Muslih al-Hardan and his two adult sons, who were also affiliated with the group, early Friday in a raid in the town of al-Bab, in Syria's Aleppo province. It said the men 'posed a threat to U.S. and Coalition Forces, as well as the new Syrian Government,' adding that three women and three children at the site were not harmed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor, said the raid was carried out through an airdrop of forces, the first of its kind to be carried out by the U.S.-led coalition against IS this year, and that ground forces from both the Syrian government's General Security forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces participated. The observatory said the operation was 'preceded by a tight security cordon around the targeted site, a heavy deployment of forces on the ground, and the presence of coalition helicopters in the airspace of the area.' There was no statement from either the government in Damascus or the SDF about the operation. Washington has developed increasingly close ties with the new Syrian government in Damascus since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive last year, and has been pushing for a merger of forces between the new Syrian army and the Kurdish-led SDF, which controls much of the country's northeast. However, progress between the two sides in agreeing on the details of the merger has been slow and could be further complicated by the recent outbreak of sectarian violence in the southern province of Sweida, in which government forces joined Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans in fighting against armed factions from the Druze religious minority. Some government forces allegedly executed Druze civilians and burned and looted their houses. The violence has increased the wariness of other minority groups — including the Kurds — toward Damascus.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
US-led forces kill senior IS leader in Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria — A raid by U.S.-led forces in northwestern Syria on Friday killed a senior leader in the Islamic State militant group, the U.S. military said Friday. The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that it had killed IS leader Dhiya Zawba Muslih al-Hardan and his two adult sons, who were also affiliated with the group, early Friday in a raid in the town of al-Bab, in Syria's Aleppo province.
