Israeli officials express uncertainty over funding of new Gaza aid mechanisms
Israeli officials have expressed uncertainty over the funding for the distribution of aid in Gaza through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, The Jerusalem Post learned Friday.
Although no information has been released regarding Israel's and possibly the United States' involvement, there has been speculation over direct Israeli involvement in the funding, notably from opposition leaders.
Opposition head MK Yair Lapid questioned the government about the source of funding for two agencies involved during a Knesset plenum debate on Monday.
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman claimed that the Mossad and the Defense Ministry are funding the aid distribution in Gaza in a post on X/Twitter on Tuesday.
Lapid questioned whether Israel had secretly financed humanitarian aid to Gaza through two shell companies, GHF and the lesser-known Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), established in Switzerland and the US. According to Lapid, Gulf states were expected to fund the aid but declined, citing concerns about the companies' structure.
Despite this, $100 million appeared in the organizations' budgets, with GHF's former CEO, Jake Wood, claiming the money came from "a country in western Europe," though no nation has acknowledged it. Wood later resigned, saying the aid plan couldn't fully adhere to humanitarian principles.
'If this money is indeed Israeli and the government is concealing it, it would not only be a deception of Israeli citizens—whose taxes fund it—but also one of the greatest diplomatic blunders in the country's history,' Lapid said.
'If our tax money is already purchasing humanitarian aid, funding food and medicine for children in Gaza, then let's at least gain international recognition for it. For once, let's have global headlines highlighting something positive Israel has done in Gaza.'
"Hundreds of millions of dollars at the expense of Israeli citizens," Liberman wrote on X.
Eliav Breur contributed to this report.
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