Macklemore donates $1M from Ed Sheeran tour to Palestinian groups with alleged ties to Hamas

The Seattle rapper said his net earnings from Sheeran’s "Loop Tour" will be divided among the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), the UNRWA USA National Committee, and American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA). "I will be donating the entire $1 million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people," Macklemore wrote on Instagram. "And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth."

Several of those organizations have faced scrutiny over alleged connections to Hamas or other terrorist groups.

In June, the US Agency for International Development's Office of Inspector General announced that it had referred 101 current or former UNRWA employees to the State Department for consideration of suspension or debarment over "participation in the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks and/or affiliation with the military wing (al-Qassam Brigades) of Hamas."

Among them was a UNRWA teacher who investigators said was a Hamas fighter and received orders to bring two anti-tank missiles to a specified location during the Oct. 7 attacks. A deputy school principal allegedly served as a Hamas platoon commander and had communications responsibilities on Oct. 7. Other employees referred by investigators allegedly served as Hamas commanders, intelligence operatives and a sniper.

In August, the USAID inspector general announced proposed debarments for three additional former UNRWA employees. One former teacher and alleged Hamas military operative "engaged in kidnapping operations" during the Oct. 7 attacks, investigators said. Another allegedly received and held civilian hostages, while a former UNRWA social worker and alleged Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative was accused of participating in the kidnapping of a civilian from Kibbutz Be'eri.

The UN's own investigation previously examined allegations against 19 UNRWA employees. In nine cases, the UN said the evidence could indicate that the employees participated in the Oct. 7 attacks and fired those employees.

A report released this week by UN Watch challenged UNRWA's claim that it has implemented most of the reforms recommended following the Oct. 7 revelations. UNRWA says it completed 41 of 50 recommendations from the independent Colonna Review. UN Watch concluded that at most 13 were completed as prescribed.

The watchdog found that UNRWA's principal terrorism-screening mechanism relies on the UN Security Council Consolidated Sanctions List, which does not list Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Other organizations receiving Macklemore's money have faced separate scrutiny. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson demanded records from HEAL Palestine and five other nonprofits earlier this year as part of an investigation into organizations "potentially linked to support of Hamas." Wilson's office emphasized that the inquiry did not constitute a finding against the organizations.

A Jerusalem Post investigation also reported overlap between HEAL Palestine and organizations or individuals it described as having Hamas-linked connections. HEAL founder Steve Sosebee previously founded PCRF, another recipient of Macklemore's donation. The Jerusalem Post reported that Sosebee had previously participated in fundraising involving the Holy Land Foundation, which the US government designated in 2001 before federal prosecutors later secured convictions against five of its leaders for providing material support to Hamas.

Medical Aid for Palestinians has faced allegations based on purported internal Hamas documents captured in Gaza. NGO Monitor reported that a 2022 Hamas Ministry of Interior document described MAP's Gaza "administrative director" as “affiliated with Hamas and has pledged allegiance to its rule."

ANERA has faced separate questions about its Gaza operations. NGO Monitor reported that it appeared to coordinate some humanitarian programs with a Gaza ministry headed by senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad.

Macklemore's announcement came after he was removed from the remaining dates of Sheeran's tour. He repeatedly called for a "Free Palestine" and performed his anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protest song "Hind's Hall" while opening for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5. Sheeran said the decision to remove Macklemore ultimately came from the tour promoter after venues objected to his continued participation.

Macklemore accused New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft of helping force him off the tour by opposing his scheduled appearance at Gillette Stadium.

Kraft confirmed that he opposed Macklemore performing at Gillette, citing what he described as a "broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery" that had been offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.

But Kraft revealed that before Macklemore publicly challenged him to match the $1 million contribution, Sheeran had already asked Kraft to contribute twice that amount toward humanitarian relief. "I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting. Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region and fight this humanitarian crisis," Kraft said.

It is not the first time Macklemore has helped raise money for the organizations. In September 2024, Macklemore performed at the "Palestine Will Live Forever" festival in Seattle, which raised money for UNRWA, HEAL Palestine, PCRF and Pious Projects. The event made national headlines when Macklemore told the cheering crowd, "F*ck America."

The festival was held in an amphitheater in the heart of Seattle's largest Jewish community, on the Jewish Sabbath and less than a year after the Oct. 7 massacre. The event was held over objections from members of the Jewish community, and local Jewish institutions increased security. Activists also targeted a nearby Jewish home displaying American and Israeli flags and local synagogues.

Macklemore rapped about supporting the "resistance," called Israelis "motherf*ckers" and said, "There will never be freedom by pleading with Zionists."

He also rapped about "freeing Palestine" from the "all mighty dollar sign," demanded then-Vice President Kamala Harris to stop supporting Israel, and accused Israel of a "genocide" that he claimed had been occurring "since 1948," the year Israel was established.

The fallout prompted the Seattle Kraken and Seattle Sounders, in which Macklemore is an investor, to say his comments did not represent the organizations. The Seattle Mariners stopped playing his hit "Can't Hold Us" during the seventh-inning stretch, and Macklemore was dropped from the Neon City Festival in Las Vegas.