On Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis hammered President Joe Biden for prioritizing aid to Gaza over the rescue of Americans taken hostage by Hamas terrorists.
Nearly 200 Israelis are currently being held captive by Hamas. With 13 American citizens currently unaccounted for since the outbreak of the war, it is believed that they may be in the hands of Hamas as well.
“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,” DeSantis posted to the social media platform X.
“Biden should work with Israel to free all American and Israeli hostages, not shower Hamas with money,”
DeSantis’ comments follow a Fox News report over the weekend revealing that the Biden administration had approved hundreds of millions in taxpayer money–including tens of millions in COVID relief funds–for use by a United Nations agency now accused of harboring Hamas terrorists.
On Saturday, Biden reportedly called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, pledging to secure humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“Palestinian leadership is already bankrolling Hamas’ atrocities against Israel and Biden wants to send aid into Gaza that will further support terrorist activity,” DeSantis added in a follow-up post. “As President, I wouldn’t send a single dollar into Gaza.”
Subscribe to the Florida Jolt Newsletter!
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.
Biden should work with Israel to free all American and Israeli hostages, not shower Hamas… pic.twitter.com/XaJ60Rn7bG
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) October 17, 2023
Over 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the war, primarily civilians murdered in the initial October 7 attack near the Gaza border.
Since the outbreak of the violence, DeSantis has been one of Biden’s White House’s harshest critics. In addition to bankrolling Hamas activity in the region, Biden has been widely criticized for failing to secure a clear path home for thousands of Americans stranded in Israel.
“The Biden administration has failed to launch any form of rescue or evacuation operations for Americans, including Floridians, stranded in the region, and has failed to provide information requested by the State of Florida about any plans for such operations,” a statement from DeSantis said last week.
While the State Department has since begun chartering flights for Americans out of Israel, critics have noted that evacuees will be expected to reimburse the government for their emergency flight home. In a POLITICO report this week, the State Department estimated that over 4,000 would be available through Thursday. An estimated 20,000 Americans had reportedly been stranded.
Join your fellow patriots and subscribe to our Youtube Channel.
Illegal aliens come across our southern border and the Biden Administration will fly them all over the country for free. They’ll even put them up in nice hotels.
Yet the best they can do for Americans caught in Israel is to dump them in Europe — then charge them for it! pic.twitter.com/6ygkSr6tEU
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) October 17, 2023
On Thursday, DeSantis issued an executive order directing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to arrange their evacuation efforts. Stepping in to fill the “void in leadership,” DeSantis greeted the first 260 rescued Americans shortly after.
“We’re here at Tampa airport. We are having our first flight of people being rescued from Israel and it’s landed,” DeSantis said in a video last week. “Over 260 people that wanted to get back to the United States and couldn’t do it. There was a void in leadership so we stepped up and led. We’re happy to be able to deliver this.”
Unlike with the federal government’s charter flights, Americans will not be expected to pay for their emergency flight on “DeSantis Airlines.”
“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.”
Other stories you may want to read:
- Chuck Millar Stands Out as Palm Beach Gardens’ Most Seasoned Leader - February 24, 2025
- Navy Vet Thomas Turkin Fights for a Better Boynton - February 10, 2025
- Rebecca Shelton’s Vision to Revitalize Boynton Beach - January 29, 2025