(USNewsMag.com) – As nearly 200 hostages remain captive in Gaza by Hamas after the October 7 attack on Israel, President Joe Biden is working with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to convince Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza on food supplies, water, and electricity rather than focusing on trying to recover hostages.
After the attack on Israel by Hamas that left 1,300 dead, almost 200 hostages were also taken by the radical militant Islamic group into the Gaza Strip territory. Israel immediately laid siege to Gaza, carrying out thousands of airstrikes, and is currently preparing for a ground invasion. Part of the siege involves shutting off water and electricity from flowing into Gaza as well as blocking aid supplies.
Critics of the Biden administration claim lifting the blockade will put the hostages held in Gaza by Hamas at risk. A source from within Israeli security said that the Israeli Defense Forces “have a long history” of using these tactics, adding that “sieges work.”
One of Biden’s critics is Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who condemned the president’s prioritization of sending aid to people in Gaza over rescuing the hostages, some of whom are international prisoners from America and other countries. DeSantis said Biden should be working with Israel to free the hostages rather than showing Hamas “money” that “will further support terrorist activity.
Biden just concluded his first trip to Israel since the attack by Hamas, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed the current siege of Gaza. Despite the criticism, Biden also pledged to send a $100 million humanitarian aid package to Gaza and the West Bank to help support the massive number of people displaced from their homes during the conflict.
The recent violence has sparked protests across the world. It’s also driving a wedge between fellow party members in both major US political parties.
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