The White House claimed on Tuesday that former US President Joe Biden’s administration allocated $50 million for a condom distribution program in Gaza. However, it provided no evidence to support this claim. A former senior official dismissed the statement as a “feverish dream.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cited the alleged funding to justify a broad freeze on foreign aid imposed by former President Donald Trump last week.
Leavitt said the spending was uncovered during Biden’s first week in office. She credited the discovery to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk. Musk called the funding “the tip of the iceberg” in a post on X.
“The budget office and DOGE found that $50 million in taxpayer money was about to go out the door for condoms in Gaza,” Leavitt said in her first press conference.
Organizations Dispute the Claim
But Palestinian and international health organizations contradict this claim. The Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA) stated that condoms and other basic reproductive health products are banned in Gaza. The group also had previously stated that Israel is systematically denying Palestinians access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.
A 2024 CNN report detailed additional essential medical items Israel frequently blocks from entering Gaza. These include ventilators, oxygen cylinders, anesthetics, X-ray machines, and water filtration systems.
Israel’s blockade policy dates back to 2008, when it banned hundreds of “dual-use” items. The Israeli government claimed these products could be repurposed for military use. Over the years, Israel has restricted everyday goods such as wedding dresses, baby bottles, musical instruments, and even livestock.
Dov Weisglass, a senior advisor to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, described the blockade’s goal in blunt terms: “To put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.”
In 2012, the Israeli military admitted to calculating the minimum number of calories needed to prevent malnutrition in Gaza. The number determined how many food trucks were allowed to enter the territory.
Despite the White House’s claims, no records show that U.S. aid funded condoms in Gaza. Instead, reports indicate that Israel continues to restrict even basic humanitarian supplies.
Where Does US Taxpayer Money Go?
In 2024 alone, the US government provided Israel with at least $17.9 billion in military funding to carry out mass killings of the Palestinian people. Israel used these taxpayer dollars to wage a genocide in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of an estimated hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. This makes US military aid to Israel over the past year the highest annual total ever recorded.
Since World War II, Israel has received more US foreign aid than any other country. In 2022, the US committed over $3.3 billion in foreign assistance to Israel, with 99.7% of it allocated to the Israeli military and only $8.8 million going toward the occupation state’s economy. That year, Israel was the second-largest recipient of US foreign aid after Ukraine, which received $12.4 billion.
By October 2024, the US had spent $22.76 billion supporting Israel’s war on Gaza and military operations against the Houthis in Yemen, according to a report by Brown University’s Watson Institute. The $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel since the Gaza genocide began marks the highest annual total ever. This aid includes military financing, weapons sales, and direct transfers from US weapons stockpiles.