GOP presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) said the U.S. must continue to strongly back Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
“We need to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-back with no daylight with Israel,” Scott told host John Catsimatidis Sunday on “The Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM. “We’re seeing the devastation and the human carnage brought to the Jewish people by Hamas, we have to be very, very clear that we stand with Israel.”
The conflict started earlier this month after the militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli towns near Gaza, killing over 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
Responding Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed over 4,100 people, including over 1,700 children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
The Biden administration has stood behind Israel in the conflict, including deploying U.S. military assets in the region in case of escalation. Biden visited Israel on Wednesday to show his support.
“I come to Israel with a single message: You are not alone,” Biden said after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.
The president also submitted a $100 billion budget request on Friday which includes $14 billion in funds for Israeli defense.
Scott previously blamed Biden for the Hamas attacks, saying his administration’s “weakness” encouraged the terrorist organization. He has also led calls to investigate a deal last month with Iran which unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets held under U.S. sanctions.
While some have alleged that Iran accessed those funds and used them to assist Hamas, the State Department has vehemently denied those claims.
The White House said Iran has never accessed the $6 billion.