Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest donates $10 million for Gaza aid

Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest announced an additional $10 million donation on Friday through his Minderoo Foundation to support urgent humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza.

With this latest contribution, Forrest and his wife Nicola Forrest have increased their foundation's total aid to almost $28 million, focusing on partners delivering critical meals to those facing famine.

Of the new funds, $5 million will go to World Central Kitchen to fund over 1.5 million meals in Gaza. An additional $5 million will be allocated to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which is providing food assistance in the region.

Since October 2023, Minderoo's financial support has helped deliver safe water, sanitation, medical supplies, medical consultations, and food aid to tens of thousands of people in Gaza, the foundation said.

"Minderoo Foundation will not sit on its hands while children starve to death," Forrest stated, calling for greater response from philanthropies and the private sector to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"We are one of few philanthropies in Australia giving to the humanitarian needs in Gaza. We want to see the philanthropic and private sector respond more strongly to the humanitarian needs in Gaza," he added.

The Israeli offensive, which began on Oct. 7, has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza, leaving the territory in desperate need of food, clean water, and medicine due to the ongoing blockade.