The Weeknd donates $2 million in food relief to Gaza

Renowned Canadian artist The Weeknd donated $2 million in food relief for Gaza, his second donation to the besieged Strip since the conflict began, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) announced earlier this week.

The Weeknd’s donation is expected to help feed thousands of Palestinians, who are in dire need of assistance.

The WFP Goodwill Ambassador and multi-platinum global recording artist, also known as Abel Tesfaye, is allocating $2 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund toward WFP’s humanitarian response efforts in Gaza, the statement said.

“This support will provide over 1,500 metric tons of fortified wheat flour, which can make over 18 million loaves of bread that can help feed more than 157,000 Palestinians for one month,” WFP noted.

The Gaza Strip has seen relentless bombardment in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. The war on Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to authorities.

Much of the Strip has been reduced to rubble and response to the humanitarian crisis has been challenging with organizations saying that there have been obstacles to getting aid in and distributing it throughout Gaza.

The Weeknd’s new contribution builds on another $2.5 million, equivalent to four million emergency meals, that he directed to WFP’s Gaza response in December 2023.

“It provided 820 metric tons of food parcels to feed more than 173,000 Palestinians for two weeks.

Additionally, Tesfaye is making an urgent appeal to fans, calling on them to give what they can by donating towards WFP’s efforts in Gaza,” WFP said in the statement, adding that more than 1 million Palestinians “face catastrophic levels of hunger across Gaza and need urgent support.”