US State Department launches $2 billion global health aid program with charity linked to terrorism

The U.S. State Department announced a $2 billion distribution of global‑health foreign assistance, the largest U.S. allocation in two decades, partnering with three faith‑based organizations. One partner, World Vision International’s U.K. branch, has faced scrutiny for alleged terrorism financing. In 2022 an Israeli court convicted its Gaza operations manager, Muhammad Halabi, of funneling up to $50 million to Hamas; he was later released in a prisoner‑exchange. A 2019 U.S. Senate Finance Committee probe found World Vision had transferred $125,000 to the Islamic Relief Agency, a group under U.S. Treasury sanctions for terror‑financing ties, and criticized its vetting procedures as “borderline negligent.”

World Vision received $491 million in food, non‑food commodities and cash from the U.S. government in 2022, ranking as the sixth‑largest implementor of USAID grants. The State Department’s announcement has sparked calls for tighter compliance and transparency in the administration of the new health funding program.