A new report from the Middle East Forum, a U.S. think tank, alleges that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided millions of dollars in funding to organizations with ties to extremist groups.

According to the report published February 4, the think tank's multi-year study identified $164 million in approved grants to what it describes as radical organizations, with at least $122 million allegedly going to groups aligned with designated terrorist organizations and their supporters.

The report specifically highlights several cases, including:

- A reported $900,000 grant to Bayader Association for Environment and Development, a Gaza-based organization that the report claims operates in coordination with Hamas authorities.

- A $12.5 million grant approval to the American Near East Refugee Agency, which the report describes as a "long-standing partner" of Bayader.

- A $125,000 payment that allegedly reached the Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA) in 2015, despite ISRA being designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury in 2004.

The funds to ISRA were reportedly channeled through World Vision, an evangelical charity working on water access in Sudan. When contacted about the allegations, a World Vision representative stated that they suspended the grant upon learning of ISRA's potential banned status and emphasized their commitment to compliance with U.S. regulations.

Sam Westrop, director of the Middle East Forum's counter-extremism project, Islamist Watch, described the findings as "horrifying" in a social media post highlighting various examples from the report.

USAID, established in 1961 under President Kennedy, operates as an independent agency working closely with the State Department to manage civilian foreign aid. The agency's oversight of grant recipients and vetting procedures are likely to face increased scrutiny following these allegations.