On August 11, long-serving Senator from Iowa, Chuck Grassley, sent letters to Christian non-profit World Vision (WV) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), asking each how they may have funded terrorism with taxpayer dollars.

The lawmaker’s inquiries principally revolve around the conviction of a WV employee, Mohammad el-Halabi, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Israel in August 2022, six years after his arrest. According to prosecutors, the former director of aid to Gaza diverted $50 million (USD) and additional resources meant for hungry children and farmers to Hamas. Designated a foreign terrorist organization by the US Department of State, the group has controlled the Palestinian enclave since 2007.

The humanitarian organization maintains that el-Halabi’s conviction was unjust and the Israeli court’s ruling is “in sharp contrast to the evidence and facts of the case.”

Their claims are founded on an independent forensic audit conducted by the firm DLR piper and commissioned by WV, which did not find any irregularities in the organization’s Gaza budget.

Grassley, however, is not so sure.