The recent freeze on all foreign aid imposed by the Donald Trump administration included cutting millions of dollars in U.S. funding for “condoms in Gaza.”
A White House official reportedly elaborated on a separate memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which temporarily halted grants, loans, and federal assistance programs pending a review, according to a Fox News report.
The official stated, “If the activity is not in conflict with the President’s priorities, it will continue with no issues. This is similar to how HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) stopped the flow of grant money to the World Health Organisation after President Trump announced the US withdrawal from the organisation. Or how the State Department halted several million dollars going to condoms in Gaza this past weekend.”
During her first briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and OMB identified “about $50 million taxpayer dollars that were about to go out the door to fund condoms in Gaza.”
The U.S. aid freeze applied broadly, including to Ukraine, with exceptions made only for Israel and Egypt. Emergency food and military funding for these two nations remained unaffected, as America—historically the world’s largest donor—continued support in these areas.
The move stemmed from Trump’s executive order, “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,” which the President signed last week after taking office. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained in an internal memo, “No new funds shall be obligated for new awards or extensions of existing awards until each proposed new award or extension has been reviewed and approved.”
In 2020, The Jerusalem Post reported that condoms in Gaza were being used to create improvised explosive devices (IEDs) attached to balloons. These windborne IEDs were launched into Israel, targeting schoolyards, agricultural fields, and highways in southern regions, causing significant destruction.
According to the Post, these incendiary devices burned thousands of hectares of land and caused “millions of shekels of damage.” In 2019, security staff discovered several balloons with rocket-propelled grenades attached near a gas station, as militants enhanced the range of their attacks.
The report suggested that the condoms were either supplied by local Palestinian organizations or sourced from international humanitarian aid groups.
