Recent social media posts circulating online say Ella Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter, is raising millions of dollars for Gaza amid the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.
Some of the posts appear critical of Emhoff, whose father Doug is Jewish, because her stance appears to be at odds with the Biden administration's support for Israel.
One post on X says Emhoff “has racked up over $8 million in aid for Hamas terrorists in Gaza.” Others on X are implying the funds allegedly being raised by Emhoff will eventually go to Hamas.
VERIFY reader Susie emailed us and asked if Emhoff raised $8 million for Gaza.
THE QUESTION
Did Ella Emhoff raise $8 million for Gaza?
THE SOURCES
- Ella Emhoff’s Instagram profile
- Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
- World Health Organization
- Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit evaluator
THE ANSWER
Ella Emhoff didn’t raise $8 million to support Gaza. She did share a link to a fundraiser created by the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. That fundraiser has generated more than $8 million from hundreds of thousands of donors, including Emhoff herself.
WHAT WE FOUND
Ella Emhoff shared a fundraiser organized by the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund on her Instagram account and did donate to the cause, but she didn’t personally raise more than $8 million in funding for Gaza.
When looking at Emhoff’s mobile Instagram profile, there is a banner that says “Supporting Urgent Relief for Gaza’s Children.” As of Nov. 7, more than $8.3 million of a $10 million goal had been reached by that fundraiser. The donations have come from more than 270,000 individuals, including Emhoff herself, according to Instagram. VERIFY was unable to confirm how much she personally donated.
If someone on Instagram clicks on the fundraiser, it takes them to another page that has more information about the fundraiser. On that page, they have the option to donate or share the fundraiser as a banner on their own profile – like Emhoff has.
Other people with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, like Dutch-Palestinian model Bella Hadid, have also shared the fundraiser on their profiles.
Anyone can also share a sticker that links back to the fundraiser on an Instagram story or share a post including the fundraiser.
The PCRF is designated as a 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt U.S. nonprofit organization “that provides free medical care to thousands of injured and ill children annually who lack local access to care within the local healthcare system in Palestine and other countries in the Middle East,” according to the organization’s website. It was founded in 1991 and has a U.S.-based headquarters in Kent, Ohio.
The World Health Organization in a Nov. 1 situation report on the war provided a list of partners that have delivered supplies or have confirmed incoming funding that will be used to aid the health response efforts across the Gaza Strip. The PCRF is on that list of organizations that confirmed incoming funding.
Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit evaluator, gives the PCRF a four-star rating and a charity score of 97%, saying people can give to the organization with confidence. Charity Navigator provides publicly available charity ratings based on financial information pulled from tax filings and the transparency of the charity.
VERIFY reached out to PCRF for comment but did not hear back at the time of publication.
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