Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., on Tuesday called for an immediate end to US aid to the Palestinians in Gaza, arguing that aid will inevitably fall into the hands of Hamas.
Blackburn made the call in a public statement as President Biden prepared to travel to Israel for the first time since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. News of Biden’s trip came just after Israel agreed to develop a humanitarian aid plan for Gaza.
“The USA should not place conditions on our support for Israel because of requests from the ‘Squad.’ “Humanitarian aid repeatedly ends up in the hands of Hamas terrorists who use it to build rockets and kill more Israelis. We must stop US aid to the Palestinians immediately,” Blackburn said.
The Biden administration has publicly offered its full support for Israel’s right to defend itself and retaliate against Hamas. However, Biden said it was a “mistake” for Israel to occupy Gaza, and the US has repeatedly said the conflict should reduce suffering in Gaza.
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Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., called for an immediate end to US aid to the Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, arguing that aid will inevitably fall into the hands of Hamas. (Getty)
International aid for Gaza is currently blocked at the Egypt-Gaza border, with the Egyptian government keeping the Rafah connection closed. Egypt and other neighboring Arab countries have repeatedly refused to accept any refugees into Gaza.
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Meanwhile, the Israeli military has warned Gaza residents to move south as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) prepare for a ground operation in the north. There were reports over the weekend of Hamas forces delaying or outright blocking residents from fleeing northern Gaza.
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Republican politicians are skeptical of aid to Gaza and of taking in refugees to Gaza.
Israel has yet to launch a full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip and has instead used thousands of air strikes on Hamas positions. The main goal of the IDF is to kill Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
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Referred to by Israel as the “Butcher of Khan Younis” for his violent and cruel methods of torture against his enemies, both Israeli and Palestinian, Sinwar, 60, is suspected of being behind the massacre of Israeli civilians carried out by thousands -thousand Hamas militants on October 7.
![Yahya Sinwar](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/02/1200/675/thumbnail_eaf45e23-0c59-48f8-81f2-c54f46c0aab6.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1)
Yahya Sinwar, leader of the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip, at the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the founding of Hamas. December 14, 2022. (Photo by Majdi Fathi/TPS)
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Hamas is also holding nearly 200 people hostage in Gaza, and rescuing them is also a top priority. American citizens are believed to be among the hostages.