The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has prompted urgent international attention—but behind closed doors, a U.S.-funded aid operation is facing serious allegations that it is doing more harm than good. Despite grave warnings from career officials at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Trump administration recently approved a $30 million award to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a decision that has sent shockwaves through both secular and religious aid communities.
According to a 14-page internal USAID assessment obtained by CNN, officials raised “critical concerns” about GHF’s ability to deliver aid safely and effectively. “The application was abysmal… it was sorely lacking real content,” said one source familiar with the process, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Another USAID official stated unequivocally, “I do not concur with moving forward with GHF given operational and reputational risks and lack of oversight.”
And yet, the State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announced the approval of the funding just days later, lauding GHF as “a results-focused alternative to a broken aid system” that has delivered “more than 66 million meals to the people of Gaza in just weeks.” The spokesperson further accused critics of engaging in “bureaucratic turf wars,” stating that the funding fulfills “President Trump’s commitment to feed the people of Gaza.”
From a Catholic moral perspective—where the sanctity of life and the principle of do no harm are foundational—the story raises troubling ethical and theological questions. Can a mission that causes death at food distribution sites be morally justified under the banner of humanitarian relief?
What’s At Stake
The concerns are not theoretical. According to the United Nations human rights office, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed around private aid sites, including those operated by GHF. This includes at least one report from the Associated Press, which found that American contractors guarding GHF distribution sites used live ammunition and stun grenades on crowds of desperate Palestinians trying to reach food.
A joint statement from over 240 NGOs denounced the operation: “Today, Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families.”
The USAID’s review reinforces these concerns. GHF’s application was missing critical components, including safety plans, detailed budgets, and maps showing distribution locations. The organization’s proposed infant formula program was flagged as potentially dangerous in an area without clean water: “Powder milk formula must be prepared with sterilized/boiled water, which is difficult in the current context,” the assessment noted.
It also found the mission plan failed to meet “requirements for Safe and Accountable programming.” USAID pressed for details on how GHF would uphold the “Do No Harm” principle—a cornerstone of Catholic and secular humanitarian ethics—but those assurances were not received before funding was greenlit.
How It Happened
Rather than follow the usual procedures of clarifying USAID concerns before approval, top political appointees fast-tracked the funding, even as USAID staff voiced internal alarm. A memo dated June 24 from Kenneth Jackson, a senior appointee originally installed by the Elon Musk-backed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), recommended waiving “various criteria given the humanitarian and political urgency of GHF’s operations.”
Two days later, the State Department made the funding official.
These political overrides mirror a deeper crisis of conscience in governance: when career experts raise flags about safety, and those concerns are dismissed for expediency, whose voice truly speaks for the vulnerable?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us: “The exercise of authority is meant to give outward expression to a just hierarchy of values in order to facilitate the exercise of freedom and responsibility by all” (CCC 2235). Yet in this case, authority seems to have been wielded without accountability or prudence.
Why Catholics Should Care
As Catholics, we are called not only to feed the hungry but to protect human dignity while doing so. St. John Paul II wrote in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis that “true development must be founded on respect for all human rights.” Aid that endangers lives contradicts this vision.
“GHF must explain how it will Do No Harm,” USAID pleaded in the assessment. The request remains largely unanswered, as tranches of the $30 million are set to be released after—not before—requirements like external audits, vetting, and registration are completed.
If Catholic donors or organizations were to participate in such an initiative without these safeguards, they would risk grave moral complicity in preventable suffering. Transparency, accountability, and above all, human dignity, must remain non-negotiable.
Even Pope Francis, in his calls for peace in the Holy Land, has insisted that humanitarian efforts must be led by the Gospel’s call to justice, not by political expedience. As of now, GHF’s militarized operations—coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces and staffed by armed American security contractors—appear to stand in opposition to this vision.
The Path Forward
While a State Department spokesperson suggested last week that further funding to GHF is under consideration, the Church must ask: At what cost? Who benefits from this model of aid—and who pays the ultimate price?
The true measure of charity is not just how much is given but how it is given. For Catholics, the Gospel compels us not only to act but to ensure that our actions reflect Christ’s own love for the poor—compassionate, just, and life-affirming.
In the case of GHF, it is not enough to say “we fed the hungry.” We must also be able to say: we did not endanger their lives to do it.
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