US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced last week during a visit to Jordan that the Biden administration will be providing another $404 million in aid to Gaza, along with “the more than $1.8 billion in development, economic, and humanitarian aid that the United States has provided since 2021.”

Fox News reported that a group of eight Republicans are demanding that the Biden administration provide a strategic plan to keep the funds from reaching the hands of Hamas and being used “for terrorist activities aimed at killing innocent civilians and advancing their stated goal of the destruction of the State of Israel.”

The group, headed by Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, a member of both the House Armed Services and Oversight committees, wrote a letter to Blinken  on Monday demanding that the funds be withheld until the State Department can provide a detailed account of how it plans to ensure the funds aren’t used by Hamas.

“While we understand the intent of this package is to provide food, drinking water, education, shelter, and more for civilians in a war zone, we have major concerns that a significant portion of the funds will inevitably end up in the hands of the State Department designated terrorist organization, Hamas,” Fallon wrote.

“The American people and the international community need assurances that funding for humanitarian aid does not end up funding terrorism. It is the Biden Administration’s policy to support Israel, and indirect funding for Hamas would prove counterproductive to this mission by prolonging the war and increasing the death toll.”

“The Administration’s goal of providing aid to civilians impacted by the ongoing conflict is noble, but we cannot allow American tax dollars to end up in the hands of terrorists. We will expect a detailed account of your strategy to maintain the integrity of this funding no later than 30 days from the sending of this notice. We also expect the funding to be halted until such a plan is approved and in place.”

Kan News reporter Chaim Goldich, who is currently serving in Gaza, published a video on Wednesday proving that humanitarian aid ends up in the hands of Hamas after finding a box of food products funded by aid organizations in an area frequented only by terrorists.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)