spread thin combatting other crises in the region. These groups say the U.S. funding freeze means they must wind down programs developed with — and funded entirely by — the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID.

Here's a quick glance at how the U.S. funding freeze is affecting Gaza.

Eye surgeries

At St. John Eye Hospital in Gaza, surgeons remove cataracts using state-of-the-art eye surgery equipment branded with a sticker that says, in Arabic, "From The American People." U.S. money bought the equipment and subsidized the surgeries for Palestinians who could not otherwise afford them, hospital administrators say.

"After the surgery she can see fingers!" said Abdel Rahman al-Hams about his mother Shafika, from the recovery room at St. John after cataract surgery.

International Medical Corps, a U.S.-funded aid group, says because ofother top administration officials wrote last month in The Washington Post.

This week, 70 Democratic Congress members wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton requesting the administration immediately restore U.S. funding for humanitarian aid in Gaza, noting recent Israeli military officials' statements expressing concern about the effects of Gaza's humanitarian crisis on Israel's security.

"We all recognize the serious security and political challenges in Gaza. However, U.S. support for the basic human rights of Palestinians living in Gaza must not be conditioned on progress on those fronts," their letter said.

Dave Harden, the former director of USAID's West Bank and Gaza mission under the Obama administration, warns that shutting down U.S. aid projects could empower Hamas.

"I can tell you who will fill the vacuum: Hamas