Trump’s WHO fund cuts freeze $46mn for Gaza amid humanitarian crisis
US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend Washington’s financial assistance to the World Health Organization (WHO) has cut $46 million for its operations in Gaza, says a top WHO official.
Upon taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order directing the US to withdraw from the United Nations health agency, a body dedicated to global health and safety.
For the two-year budget ending in 2025, Washington is projected to be WHO's largest contributor by far.
Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, warned on Tuesday that the “freezing” of the financial assistance would leave six areas underfunded in Gaza, including rehabilitation of health facilities, and medical evacuation operations.
Speaking from Gaza at a United Nations briefing in Geneva, he said that the agency has money left for such operations at the moment and “we’re still going full steam ahead” with activities.
The US withdrawal will take a year to complete. In the meantime, Washington’s funding would remain in place, under the organization's rules.
Trump made the controversial order as tens of thousands of families in Gaza suffer from a lack of basic supplies, including tents, blankets and heating devices.
Mohammed Abu Afash, director of medical relief in Gaza, warned that the humanitarian situation was deteriorating due to the harsh weather conditions across the territory.
Afash also urged international institutions to pressure Israel to allow the entry of aid, which includes 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents.
The United States backed Israel in its genocidal war on Gaza for more than a year, providing the regime with substantial military aid worth billions of dollars.
The campaign of death and destruction and ethnic cleansing, which came to an end after a ceasefire deal took effect on January 19, has left approximately 92 percent of residents in ruins across the coastal enclave.
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Trump’s WHO fund cuts freeze $46mn for Gaza amid humanitarian crisis
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