advertisement
Music News

The Weeknd Donating 4 Million Emergency Meals to Gaza Through His XO Humanitarian Fund

The United Nations World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador has directed $2.5 million from his fund toward's WFP's response in the Palestinian territory.

The Weeknd attends the U.N. World Food Programme as it welcomes The Weeknd as a Goodwill Ambassador on October 7, 2021 in West Hollywood, California.

The Weeknd attends the U.N. World Food Programme as it welcomes The Weeknd as a Goodwill Ambassador on October 7, 2021 in West Hollywood, California.

Rich Fury/Getty Images for U.N. World Food Programme

The United Nations World Food Programme announced on Friday (Dec. 1) that WFP Goodwill Ambassador The Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye) has directed $2.5 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund to aid the WFP’s humanitarian response in Gaza.

The organization said that the donation — equal to four million emergency meals — will fund the delivery of 820 metric tons (approx. 1.8 million pounds) of food parcels that could feed more than 173,000 Palestinians for two weeks.


“This conflict has unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe beyond reckoning. WFP is working round the clock to provide aid in Gaza but a major scale up is needed to address the desperate level of hunger we are seeing,” said WFP’s Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe Region, Corinne Fleischer in a statement about the rush to provide aid in Gaza. The crisis is a result of weeks of heavy bombardment from Israeli forces in response to Palestinian terror group Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the murder of more than 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 240 women, children, men and elderly citizens.

advertisement

“Our teams need safe and sustained humanitarian access, and continued support from donors to reach as many people as we can,” Fleischer continued. “We thank Abel for this valuable contribution towards the people of Palestine. We hope others will follow Abel’s example and support our efforts.”

The WFP said the donation from Tesfaye comes at a critical time in the group’s efforts to feed the more than one million Gazans facing starvation. During the just-expired week-long truce between Israel and Hamas the WFP said it reached more than 121,000 people in Gaza, providing fresh bread, fortified date bars, canned food, wheat flour, pasta, tomato sauce and oil.

Tesfaye was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador in Oct. 2021 and has supported the WFP’s global hunger-relief missions with $1.8 million in personal donations to date through his XO fund; the singer has committed to dedicate the equivalent of $1 per concert ticket sold in 2024 from the global leg of his After Hours ’til Dawn stadium tour to the XO Humanitarian Fund.

advertisement

This article was first published by Bilboard U.S.

advertisement
Kneecap Blasts Norwegian Government at Oslo Festival, Accusing It of Funding ‘Genocide’ Against Palestinians
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Mo Chara, DJ Provaí and Móglaí Bap of Kneecap performs on the West Holts Stage during during day four of Glastonbury Festival 2025 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, England.

Music News

Kneecap Blasts Norwegian Government at Oslo Festival, Accusing It of Funding ‘Genocide’ Against Palestinians

The Irish rap trio went after the Norwegian government over its investments, which are currently under scrutiny, at Øyafestivalen.

Irish rap group Kneecap – which has drawn a storm of criticism, support, attention and legal action over the past half-year – continued to speak out about the war in Gaza during an afternoon set at the Øyafestivalen in Oslo, Norway, on Friday (Aug. 8).

Right before the trio of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí took the stage, an English-language white-text-on-black-background message played on a video screen, accusing the Norwegian government of “enabling” the “genocide” against the Palestinian people via investments held in the county’s sovereign wealth fund (referenced as “oil pension fund” in the message). “Over 80,000 people have been murdered by Israel in 21 months,” the band’s message continued. “Free Palestine.” The message was greeted readily by a cheering audience. Most estimates (including those from health officials in the area) place the Palestinian death toll at more than 60,000. That number does not distinguish between civilians and Hamas militants. An estimated 18,500 of those killed were children.

keep readingShow less
advertisement