HR7565-119

What This Bill Does

Within 30 days after enactment, the Secretary of State must certify and report to Congress that State Department oversight policies, processes, and procedures are in use to ensure sufficient food assistance for Gaza. The standard is at least three nutritious meals each day for all children in Gaza and at least two nutritious meals each day for all other civilians in Gaza. Those procedures must be developed in coordination with the World Food Program, UNRWA, other appropriate UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral donors, international NGOs, the Government of Israel, and representatives of the Palestinian people. The Secretary must submit a written description of oversight procedures, including the role of the Government of Israel, and within another 30 days make public a report on how much food assistance is distributed, how many children and adults are served, who the donors are, and how food is distributed. The Secretary must promptly notify Congress when Gaza food assistance is denied entry, diverted, or misused, including the type of aid, donor, incident, parties, and State Department response.

Who Benefits and How

Children in Gaza, civilians in Gaza, humanitarian food providers, congressional foreign affairs committees, and public aid monitors benefit from a meal-based oversight benchmark and public reporting on food distribution, donors, entry denials, diversion, and misuse.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Department of State, World Food Program, UNRWA, other UN agencies, international NGOs, Government of Israel, bilateral donors, and multilateral donors must coordinate oversight procedures, distribution reporting, incident tracking, and responses.

Key Provisions

• Requires State Department certification within 30 days that Gaza food-assistance oversight procedures are in use.
• Requires procedures to ensure children in Gaza can eat at least three nutritious meals daily and other civilians can eat at least two.
• Requires coordination with WFP, UNRWA, UN agencies, donors, NGOs, Israel, and Palestinian representatives.
• Requires public reporting on food amounts, served children and adults, donors, distribution methods, denied entry, diversion, misuse, and State Department responses.