DeSantis says US should not accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza
FOX News national correspondent Bryan Llenas reports on how 2024 Republican presidential candidates are responding to the war in Israel on ‘FOX News Live.’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed President Biden on Tuesday accusing him of prioritizing humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has reportedly been compromised by Hamas in the past, over rescuing American and Israeli hostages.
"Innocent Americans and Israelis are being held hostage by Hamas terrorists, yet Biden is more focused on sending ‘humanitarian aid’ to Gaza that will be commandeered by Hamas terrorists," the GOP presidential candidate posted on X Tuesday.
"Biden should work with Israel to free all American and Israeli hostages, not shower Hamas with money."
The DeSantis post included a screenshot of a Reuters news article with the headline "US and Israel to develop aid plan for Gaza civilians, Blinken says."
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President Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Getty Images)
"Palestinian leadership is already bankrolling Hamas’ atrocities against Israel and Biden wants to send aid into Gaza that will further support terrorist activity," DeSantis said in a follow-up post. "As President, I wouldn’t send a single dollar into Gaza."
Biden has been widely criticized by Republicans for not moving quickly enough to secure the release of American hostages in Israel following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 as well as not doing enough to help the thousands of Americans stranded in Israel find a way home.
DeSantis recently took matters into his own hands by signing an executive order authorizing his state to send planes and resources to Israel to rescue stranded Americans.
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Israeli responds to Hamas attack with airstrikes on Oct. 7, 2023. (Momen Faiz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
DeSantis announced earlier this week that a flight carrying 270 people stranded in Israel landed in Tampa Bay, Florida.
"I am proud of how quickly we have been able to activate resources and do what the federal government could not – get Floridians and other Americans back home, reunited with their families, free of charge," DeSantis said in a press release.
Demonstrators attend an "emergency rally for Gaza" outside the Israeli Consulate in New York City Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Supporters of both sides in the Israel-Hamas war clashed at the event. (Jennifer Mitchell for Fox News Digital)
The State Department announced last Wednesday, four days after the Hamas attack, that "the U.S. government will arrange charter flights to assist U.S. citizens and their immediate family members who have been unable to book commercial transit and seek a safe means of departing Israel" starting on Friday.
Hamas is believed to be holding 199 Israelis hostages while 13 Americans are currently unaccounted for and are possibly being held by the terror group as well.
Additionally, questions have been raised about Hamas's ability to access humanitarian aid sent to Palestinian refugees.
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Fox News Digital reported on Saturday that the Biden administration has sent hundreds of millions in taxpayer money, including tens of millions in COVID relief funds, to a United Nations agency accused of harboring Hamas terrorists in the past.
"The USA should not be placing conditions on our support for Israel because of demands from the ‘Squad,'" Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said this week.
"Humanitarian aid repeatedly ends up in the hands of Hamas terrorists who use it to build rockets & kill more Israelis. We should immediately halt U.S. aid for the Palestinians."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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