Despite US admission Hamas 'may seize' aid to Gaza, Biden announces $100m in Palestinian aid "We know Hamas is going to commandeer that money, and Hamas is going to use it to advance terrorism," stated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a presidential candidate. By David Swindle, Menachem Wecker, JNS Later this week, U.S. President Joe Biden intends to ask Congress for "an unprecedented support package for Israel's defense," he said today at the David Kempinski Hotel in Tel Aviv. "The world will know that Israel is stronger than ever, and my message to any state or any other hostile actor thinking about attacking Israel remains the same as it was a week ago: Don't. Don't. Don't." Moments later, Biden announced "$100 million in new U.S. funding for humanitarian assistance in both Gaza and the West Bank." The monies will "support more than 1 million displaced and conflict-affected Palestinians, including emergency needs in Gaza," the president said. The announcement came less than two days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged, in remarks he delivered in Tel Aviv, that there are concerns about aid packages reaching civilians who need it. "We share Israel's concern that Hamas may seize or destroy aid entering Gaza or otherwise preventing it from reaching the people who need it," Blinken said on Oct. 16. |