Israel security bill includes relief aid 4 times the size of Gaza's GDP

(JUST THE NEWS) – The House of Representatives Israel aid bill is under scrutiny for including more than $9 billion in humanitarian assistance, which is significantly more than the annual gross domestic product of the Gaza Strip, as critics say the U.S. is essentially funding Hamas through the bill.

The Israel bill, which passed in a 366-58 vote Saturday, allocates $26.4 billion in aid to the region, including more than $9.1 billion marked as "Migration and Refugee Assistance" and "International Disaster Assistance," to address the humanitarian needs that arose in the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

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The aid is more than four times the amount of the annual GDP in the Gaza Strip, which was about $2 billion last year, according to the United Nations. However, the damage done to the infrastructure in Gaza since Oct. 7 is about $18.5 billion, according to a joint World Bank and the United Nations report earlier this month.

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