Gaza Herald_ An Australian charity that publicly presents itself as a humanitarian organization supporting communities in Israel transferred nearly $29 million in donations in 2024 to Keren Hayesod, an institution that openly describes itself as one of the foundational “pillars” of the Israeli state and a funder of its so-called “national priorities,” including direct support for foreign nationals who travel to Israel to enlist in the Israeli military.
The transfers took place during 2024, the deadliest year of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, when more than 100 Palestinians were being killed every day, the vast majority of them women and children.
The charity involved is United Israel Appeal (UIA) Australia, which functions as the Australian fundraising arm of Keren Hayesod.
UIA Australia’s upcoming 2026 fundraising gala is set to feature Ron Dermer, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States and one of the most influential advisers to Israel’s prime minister, as its headline speaker.
Financial disclosures released by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission show that since UIA Australia began publicly reporting its finances in 2013, the organization has sent the overwhelming majority of its tax-exempt donations and corporate sponsorships raised from Australians directly to Keren Hayesod.
In total, those transfers amount to almost $300 million.
The figures were first revealed by the independent investigative outlet Michael West Media.
Funds raised globally
UIA Australia states that its short-term mission is focused on “relief, welfare, maintenance and education, including transport to Israel, of persons suffering persecution, famine or other forms of physical or economic hardship outside the State of Israel”.
Its long-term objectives, according to the organization, include the “integration into Israeli society” and “vocational training” of people affected by those hardships.
How this mission aligns with diaspora Jews voluntarily travelling to Israel to join the army following the 7 October 2023 attacks and Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza remains unclear.
Middle East Eye contacted UIA Australia for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Keren Hayesod raises the vast majority of its funding outside Israel, operating charity branches in 45 countries worldwide. A portion of these funds is allocated to programs such as “Wings Lone Soldier”, which provides logistical and social support to immigrant soldiers. known as “lone soldiers”, who enlist in the Israeli military and later require assistance transitioning into civilian life.
The broader goal of the program is to help these individuals permanently settle in Israel. Encouraging and sustaining Jewish immigration, or aliyah, is one of Keren Hayesod’s central missions.
According to the organization’s 2024 impact report, Keren Hayesod supported 2,200 lone soldiers that year, with 65 percent choosing to remain in Israel after completing their military service.
A report published in December by The Jerusalem Post stated that between 2023 and 2025, Keren Hayesod raised $645 million globally to support Israel during its genocide in Gaza. During this period, more than 71,500 Palestinians were killed.
Keren Hayesod was established in 1920 at the World Zionist Congress, explicitly in response to the Balfour Declaration, which called for the creation of a Jewish national home in British Mandate Palestine.
On its official website, the organization describes itself as a cornerstone of the Israeli state, declaring:
“We, as a national institution, together with our counterparts, the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the Jewish National Fund, comprise the four pillar national institutions of the State of Israel, all of which enjoy a special protected legal status.”
In addition to Australia, UIA maintains offices in the United States and Canada.
UIA USA raises funds for The Jewish Agency for Israel, while UIA Canada operates as a fundraising arm for Keren Hayesod.
