Is the US sending $50m in condoms to Gaza as Trump claims?

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that his administration had stopped $50 million worth of condoms, intended for making bombs, from being shipped to the Gaza Strip. Trump provided no evidence to support his claim that the condoms were being sent to Gaza or that Hamas was using birth control to make bombs, leaving many confused by the U.S. president's remarks.

However, there may be an explanation, albeit a far-fetched one. Trump claimed that the U.S. was sending condoms to Hamas until he put a stop to it. Trump made the claim while listing accomplishments of his administration since taking office. "We found and stopped $50 million going to Gaza for condoms for Hamas," Trump said Wednesday. "They use those condoms to make bombs. How about that?"

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also made a similar claim during her first press briefing on Tuesday. She said the government’s Department of Efficiency (DOGE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) “discovered approximately $50 million in taxpayer dollars was about to go to fund condoms in Gaza.” She called the alleged aid a “ridiculous waste of taxpayer money.” Fox News conservative talk show host Jesse Watters said Hamas is using non-existent U.S. shipments to make “condom bombs,” floating balloons filled with explosives into Israel. Did he share any evidence to support this sensational claim? No, he did not.

Trump appears to be making the accusation to paint Gaza as an example of wasteful U.S. foreign aid. His administration has justified its suspension of nearly all foreign aid by highlighting examples of “shocking funding,” such as contraception and reproductive health programs. The administration says it is conducting a review to ensure that the hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid are in line with Trump’s “America First” foreign policy, rather than being a waste of taxpayer money. The U.S. is by far the world’s largest aid donor. In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. allocated $72 billion globally for everything from women’s health in conflict zones to clean water, HIV/AIDS treatment, energy security, and anti-corruption efforts.

Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International, refuted Trump and Leavitt’s claims as unrealistic. He wrote on X Wednesday: “USAID procures condoms for about $0.05 apiece. $50 million would buy 1 billion condoms. What happened here was not 1 billion condoms for Gaza. What happened was that the DOGE bros apparently can't read a government spreadsheet.” There is no public evidence of a plan to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to fund condoms in Gaza, and State Department officials have not responded to Reuters’ requests for evidence.

However, there is a significant amount of evidence that appears to contradict Trump's claims. International Medical Corps (IMC) detailed its work in Gaza in a statement. It said, “No U.S. government funding has been used to procure or distribute condoms, nor have family planning services been provided.” The statement added that IMC has received over $68 million from USAID since October 7, 2023, to operate two large field hospitals in Gaza, including surgical care, malnutrition treatment, and emergency maternal and newborn care. There is no public reporting from DOGE or OMB that reflects a plan to send $100 million for IMC’s operations in Gaza.

Reports of contraceptives and condoms shipped by USAID to the rest of the world between 2007 and fiscal year 2023 also show no record of any condoms being shipped to Gaza. Dana Stroul, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, said in an X post Wednesday that USAID did not spend money in Gaza in fiscal year 2023. A USAID report from April shows that the U.S. provided $60.8 million in contraceptives and condoms to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean in the previous fiscal year. The Middle East only received $45,681, while Africa received over $54 million, accounting for 89% of the 2023 fiscal year’s contraceptives. The report added that the $45,681 was all for Jordan, including oral and injectable contraceptives, but not condoms. USAID reports also show shipments to the Middle East in fiscal years 2019, 2013, 2012, 2009, 2008, and 2007, but none mentioned any shipments to Gaza.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funds organizations that carry out health-related projects around the world, including reproductive health projects. Is it possible Trump and his administration were referring to a different Gaza? After all, there are over a dozen places in the world named Gaza, including two communities in the U.S. For now, the reasoning behind Trump’s claim, as well as the evidence he has, remains unclear. But it is worth noting that, according to HHS’s grant database, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in Mozambique has received over $83 million since 2021. The funding is allocated to reproductive health projects in two provinces in the country: Inhambane and Gaza. According to the grant details, the funding is expected to last until September 2026. It is unclear whether Mozambique lost out on funding because of any confusion about its Gaza province.