RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – On Monday, President Joe Biden announced $100 million in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people. Now, some are wondering how the U.S. will ensure that aid will get into the right hands.
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine (D) said the U.S. will rely on trusted partners including the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to ensure the aid is used properly.
“There has been a pretty significant presence of both the UN and NGOs in Gaza who are not connected to Hamas,” Kaine said.
Plus, Kaine adds the U.S. isn’t handing over the aid in cash.
“The kind of aid that we are going to be delivering is going to be water, food and medicine,” Kaine explained. “These are not things that can be used to harm Israeli’s, but we do want to make sure these humanitarian supplies get in the hands of people who need it.”
Meanwhile, Virginia’s other senator, Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he has been briefed on that blast at a hospital in Gaza. Hamas blames Israel, but Warner reiterated that there is no evidence to support that.
“I have seen some of the raw intelligence that clearly indicates on the ground that Hamas figures themselves acknowledge that it was not Israel,” Warner said. “That it was a separate Palestinian group. Not Hamas, but a separate Palestinian group.”
Warner adds he supports the intelligence community releasing certain information to the public to ensure all Americans can see the evidence for themselves.