DeSantis calls on 2024 rivals to oppose Biden’s ‘$100M gift to Hamas’

International News | The Hill

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called upon his rivals in the 2024 Republican presidential race to oppose President Biden’s $100 million in U.S. funding to assist civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, arguing the money is a “$100 million gift to Hamas.”

Biden announced the humanitarian aid deal Wednesday from Tel Aviv, where he is meeting with Israeli leaders in the wake of the country’s war with Palestinian militant group Hamas. The deal will allow humanitarian aid to cross from Egypt to Gaza and will send $100 million in U.S. funding to support more than 1 million displaced Palestinians caught in the conflict.

“Joe Biden just announced $100 million of your taxpayer dollars going to the Gaza Strip,” DeSantis said Wednesday in a video message posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “They say it’s humanitarian assistance, we know Hamas is going to commandeer that money, and Hamas is going to use it to advance terrorism.”

Referring to the Israeli military’s reports that Hamas has taken people captive, DeSantis said, “How are you funding them when they’re holding Americans?”

The Biden administration has not confirmed a specific number of American hostages, though it sent a special envoy to Israel for hostage negotiations.

“I challenge every Republican running to step up to the plate,” DeSantis added. “Join me in opposing Biden’s $100 million gift to Hamas.”

The White House is separately preparing a supplemental funding request for Congress that could equal roughly $100 billion in aid to Israel, Ukraine and border security, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

When asked Wednesday on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” if he would support this type of request, DeSantis said, “Well I think the Republicans will ensure that it’s separate, I think those should be separate debates.”

Israel has cut off access to food, water and medicine to Gaza and ordered people to move south in advance of an expected ground assault on the territory, deepening the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

The supply cutoffs and evacuation order came after Hamas, which controls Gaza, launched attacks on Israeli villages, farms and military outposts more than a week ago in a bloody assault that left more than 1,300 dead.

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza — which has been bombarded with airstrikes over the past several days — have waited at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt for days, as mediators urge for a cease-fire that would allow the trucks to enter the territory and allow foreigners to leave. Rafah, Gaza’s only connection to Egypt, shut down due to airstrikes.

Egypt’s foreign minister confirmed there is now an agreement between Egypt, Israel and other international actors to allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, The Associated Press reported.

Hospitals in Gaza have warned they are on the verge of collapse due to the rapidly dwindling supply of medicine and medical equipment as it attempts to treat the thousands of Palestinians injured.

At least 2,778 Palestinians have died so far in the conflict, with another 9,938 wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry reported Wednesday.

Biden’s deal followed pressure from world leaders about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. His remarks Wednesday stressed the scores of Palestinians caught in the violence, stating the U.S. “unequivocally stands for the protection of civilian life during conflict.”

DeSantis himself has remained vocal in his criticism of Hamas’s attacks, and he said Sunday that Israel’s counteroffensive is “not collective punishment” for the 2.3 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

Last week, DeSantis issued an executive order authorizing the rescue of Floridians in Israel amid the country’s fight with the Palestinian militant group. He welcomed the first flight carrying nearly 300 American evacuees who were unable to leave Israel earlier this week to Florida, where they received support from multiple state agencies.

Updated at 4:47 p.m.