Has the US sent $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza?

More or Less: Behind the Stats

BBC

Business, Mathematics, Science, News Commentary, News

4.6 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 15 February 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On the 25th January, the US Press Secretary announced that in their bid to stop ‘fraud’ and waste DOGE had cancelled $50 million worth of condoms being sent to Gaza by the United States Agency for International Development (aka USAID).

President Trump later repeated this claim, adding on that Hamas were using said condoms to make bombs to fire at Israel.

On the 7th of February the USAID website was taken down.

We fact check this claim and find out how much of the US budget was spent on USAID programmes.

Presenter: Charlotte McDonald Producer: Lizzy McNeill Research: Josh McMinn Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: David Crackles Editor: Richard Vadon

Transcript

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0:00.0	Eleven climbers appeared to have died on the world's second highest mountain K2.
0:06.0	It was one of the deadliest days in mountaineering history.
0:10.0	Rock falls, avalanches.
0:11.0	Huge pieces of ice. All are big enough to kill you.
0:14.0	He just flew out into Devoid and he was gone.
0:17.0	How did it all go so wrong?
0:19.0	And is it really worth risking death to feel alive?
0:22.3	Why would somebody pay to go to a place called the death cell on a vacation?
0:27.4	Extreme.
0:28.3	Peak Danger.
0:29.3	With me, Natalia Melman Petrazella.
0:31.8	Listen to the full series now, first on BBC Sounds.
0:34.9	Hello, and thanks for downloading the more or less podcast.
0:38.5	We're the program that looks at the numbers in the news and in life, and I'm Charlotte McDonald.
0:44.0	It feels like the Trump administration is rapidly becoming our bread and butter.
0:49.5	We actually have to restrain ourselves from checking their numbers out too much,
0:55.0	for fear of them thinking we fancy them or something.
0:56.0	Why are you so obsessed with me?
0:58.0	It's not you. It's us. We just love dodgy numbers.
1:02.0	Actually, I guess it is you. You tease.
1:05.0	Anyway, this week we're checking them, I mean, their facts out.
1:10.0	Specifically, this humdinger of a fact from White House Press Exception This week, we're checking them, I mean, their facts out.
	...

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