Biden Did Not Send 150 Million to Hamas

Adam Warner

Politics

6th June 2021

The U.S. has not funded Hamas in any way (Getty Images).

The Claim

President Joe Biden sent $150 million to Hamas.

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Emerging story

In May 2021, media users claimed that Biden provided $150 million to Gaza, which Hamas used to purchase weapons.

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Misbar’s Analysis

MENA: Misbar found that the Biden administration never gave money to Gaza or Hamas, although they did resume US financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Support for the UN agency was severed under the Trump administration and $150 million in aid was restored in 2021 by President Biden.

UNRWA has no association with Hamas and uses its funds to assist Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Gaza, West Bank, Syria, and Jordan. The agency is transparent in how it uses its funds, publishing this information through the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI). According to these figures, the majority of its funds go towards emergency response and basic education.

The United States has designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization since October of 1997. US government policy is to disrupt funding to any group designated as a terrorist organization and certainly not to provide financial aid.