Republican presidential candidates on the campaign trail criticized President Biden following the attacks on Israel. On Sunday, Oct. 8, Israel declared war after Hamas, an Islamic militant group, initiated the most significant attack on Israel in decades.
The death toll is still growing, with some outlets reporting the number of deaths has reached 1,000. Meanwhile, GOP presidential candidates are taking aim at Biden’s deal with Iran in exchange for five American hostages.
While on the campaign trail in Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 7, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis told reporters that the Biden administration “empowered” Iran when it unfroze $6 billion in Iranian funding in exchange for five American hostages.
But the $6 billion has yet to be fully transferred to the Iranian government and is only to be used for humanitarian purposes, according to the U.S. Treasury.
Still, DeSantis and other GOP members said that the $6 billion deal may have been a catalyst for the attack.
According to the Biden administration, the $6 billion is not taxpayer money but payments from South Korea to Iran for oil.
“To think they’re not moving around money is irresponsible… it was wrong to release the $6 billion,” Former U.N. Ambassador and GOP candidate Nikki Haley told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal cited senior members of the Palestinian militant group who claim Iran helped plan the attack over the course of several weeks.
On Monday, Oct. 9, Iranian officials denied the country had any involvement in the Hamas attacks in Israel.
When asked what support the U.S. should provide to Israel, some GOP candidates suggested that the yearly military funding provided by the U.S. is enough and that Israel has “robust military capability.”
In Iowa, after calling President Biden weak, former Vice President Mike Pence called on Biden to send help to Israel by way of military resources.
Pence also criticized some GOP candidates for their response to the attacks.
“Voices of appeasement like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis I believe have run contrary to the tradition in our party that America is the leader of the free world,” Pence said.
On Sunday, Oct. 8, Biden announced the U.S. is sending multiple military ships and aircraft close to Israel as a show of support, including the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group.
