Israel has appealed to the United States for $10 billion in emergency aid amid the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Africa Today News, New York has gathered.
The White House is reportedly preparing an assistance package for Israel, which also contains aid to Ukraine, funding to reinforce the US-Mexico border, and aid to Taiwan, the newspaper said last night.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington was considering Israel’s requests for additional military aid to conduct its operation in the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that US President Joe Biden during his visit to Israel scheduled for Wednesday would get an update from Israeli officials about their strategy against Hamas in Gaza, including the pace of their military operations.
Last week, a US official told Sputnik that Washington had not made a decision on whether it would tie in assistance for Ukraine and Taiwan in a supplemental funding request it was preparing to submit to Congress seeking additional aid for Israel.
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US Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said the US military would need additional support from Congress to be able to provide security assistance to Ukraine and Israel simultaneously.
On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Gaza Strip.
The conflict has left thousands of people dead and injured on both sides.
In another report, suspected Israeli air strikes on a hospital compound in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday left no fewer than 200 people dead, officials in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory said on Tuesday, sparking widespread condemnation and fury in the international press.
But Israel’s army blamed a rocket misfired by militants in Gaza.
Al Jazeera footage from the scene which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York on Wednesday showed medics and civilians recovering bodies with white bags or blankets. Bloodstains and multiple torched cars were visible in the dark hospital courtyard.
The attack occurred only hours before US President Joe Biden was scheduled to go to the Middle East in order to find a balance between supporting Israel while preventing the violence from spreading to other parts of the region.