Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to freeze foreign aid over the weekend included pulling millions of dollars-worth of US funding for “condoms in Gaza,” a White House

The United Arab Emirates and Israel agreed that the Gulf emirate would take over the management of the Gaza Strip after the war, according to a report by Israel Hayom.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the Biden administration had earmarked $50 million for a condom distribution programme in the Gaza Strip. Her comments came as she was justifying Donald Trump’s sweeping freeze on all foreign aid.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the funding was earmarked for condom distribution in Gaza, per DOGE and OMB.

The Trump administration clarified the claim on Wednesday, saying the $50 million was part of a broader aid package

Review of USAID records shows no condom shipments to enclave, with only Middle East delivery being $45,680 shipment to Jordan in 2023 - Anadolu Ajansı

There is no evidence that the U.S. earmarked $50 million in condoms to Gaza, or that it has recently spent $50 million on condoms in Gaza. On X, a State Department spokesperson said the freeze stopped $100 million in funding to Gaza which included money for contraception.

President Donald Trump falsely claimed during the Laken Riley Act signing that his administration had “identified and stopped $50 million being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas.”

A memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget reportedly ordered a pause of federal grants, loans and other financial-assistance programs.

Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, quickly condemned the Trump administration’s offer to roughly 2 million federal employees to resign in exchange for pay, saying in a Senate floor speech that the deal was a trick, that the president didn’t have the authority to make the offer and employees who resign may not be paid.

As Gaza residents return to what is left of their homes, they're facing new risks on top of monumental health challenges.

The Israel-Hamas war has put back development in Gaza by 60 years and mobilising the tens of billions of dollars needed for reconstruction will be an uphill task, the United Nations said.Around two-thirds of all buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged,