The Weeknd is pledging another $2 million to help feed families in Gaza. The donation comes from his XO Humanitarian Fund, which helps combat global hunger. The $2 million will be used to make more than 18 million loaves of bread and feed more than 157,000 Palestinians for a month, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) reported Monday.
“With famine looming in Gaza, Abel’s generous support will provide vital relief for thousands of Palestinian families who battle the grip of hunger every day,” Corinne Fleischer, the WFP’s director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe Region, said in a statement. “We are tremendously grateful for his contribution, compassion, and for his unwavering advocacy for WFP and the people of Palestine.”
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, previously donated $2.5 million to Gaza in December 2023, which is equivalent to four million emergency meals for impacted civilians. The XO Humanitarian Fund provided 820 metric tons of food, which could feed more than $173,000 Palestinians for two weeks. The Weeknd became a WFP Goodwill Ambassador in October 2021, and set up his XO Humanitarian Fund with the World Food Program USA in March 2022. The Fund, the Weeknd’s partners, and fans have raised $6.5 million to date to provide relief to people with limited access to food. The four-time Grammy winner has also donated $2 million to Ethiopian women and children, as part of WFP’s emergency food assistance program.
Israel and Hamas have been at war since Oct. 7. After Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel, 300,000 Israeli troops swelled around Gaza cutting off access to food, water, and gas. Following nearly seven months at war, Gaza’s Palestinian health authorities are now unable to keep up with the multiplying death toll, with unknown bodies within collapsed infrastructure, unstable means of communication, and crumbling hospitals. In March, seven World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed by Israeli forces, and last week the UN called for an “independent, effective and transparent” investigation following the discovery of mass graves at two major hospitals in Gaza.
“We are very grateful for Abel’s continued support as WFP works to respond to the urgent hunger crisis in Gaza,” said Barron Segar, the president and CEO of World Food Program USA. “Hunger is a human-made problem, and as such, it is solvable. We have enough food in this world to feed everyone; all we need is the funding and safe access to make it happen. Thanks to Abel’s designation, families and children will receive the food they so desperately need.”
