A spokesman for Hamas confirmed to the BBC that the terrorist group received aid from Iran. The invasion has been interpreted by many observers as an attempt to scuttle the ongoing peace talks between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the wider Middle East.
The revelation has led Republicans in both chambers to denounce the Biden administration for its ongoing talks with the Islamic Republic, including unfreezing $6 billion worth of Iranian assets in early August in exchange for five imprisoned Americans.
“Just weeks ago, the Biden administration handed over $6 billion to Iran, and today, innocent Israelis were murdered by Iran-backed terrorists,” Senator Marsha Blackburn (R. Tenn.), said in an official statement. “We must continue to support our strongest ally in the Middle East and their right to defend themselves against these unprovoked, horrific attacks.”
Representative Dan Bishop (R., N.C.) similarly condemned the White House for its recent dealings with Iran, given Tehran’s unwavering support for Hamas. “Biden just gave Hamas sponsor Iran $6 billion. Today, innocent Israeli citizens have paid with their lives for his and the Obama holdovers’ venal incompetence. America must unflinchingly support Israel’s right of self defense in all its fullness. God bless and save Israel,” Bishop wrote on X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter.
President Joe Biden “funded this attack when he bowed to Iran and gave $6 BILLION to this evil regime that starts every day plotting to destroy Israel,” Senator Rick Scott (R., Fl.) wrote on X. “While Biden is silent, his appeasement of Iran and Hamas terrorists is heard in every siren blaring across Israel.”
Republican presidential hopeful Senator Tim Scott (R., S.C.) went further, suggesting that the White House “didn’t just invite this aggression, we paid for it.”
“Iran is the biggest funder of Hamas. This is the Biden $6 billion ransom payment at work,” Scott said on the campaign trail.
The State Department has rejected such accusations insisting that the money associated with the deal “remains in Doha” and is specifically earmarked for social services. “Let’s be clear: the deal to bring U.S. citizens home from Iran has nothing to do with the horrific attack on Israel. Not a penny has been spent, and when it is, it can only go for humanitarian needs like food and medicine. Anything to the contrary is false,” department spokesman Matt Miller wrote on X.
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