(NewsNation) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rejected sending humanitarian aid to Gaza as fighting between Israel and Hamas militants continues.
The GOP 2024 presidential candidate told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on Wednesday he would suggest imposing financial sanctions on Iran for its reported involvement in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
“I think Biden still holds out hope that there can be a reproaching with the Iranians,” DeSantis said. “To me, this has to end with Hamas suffering an unconditional defeat. Israel cannot live like this.”
Fighting between Israel and Hamas is well into its second week, having claimed thousands of lives and injuring many more.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday confirmed $100 million in U.S. funding to assist civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. DeSantis, however, hypothesized that Hamas would commandeer any money sent to Gaza and that the funds would be ultimately used against the best interests of the U.S.
“Hamas is still holding people hostage,” DeSantis said. “They’re still holding Americans hostage. I would not send that money, and I’ve actually challenged all the other Republican presidential candidates to step up to the plate and join me in saying, ‘Don’t send money to Hamas.’”
Some political figures have expressed similar concerns about aid and lifesaving supplies halted just outside the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Movement throughout the region is heavily restricted, and Palestinian civilians’ resources are dwindling.
In the U.S., support for Palestinians who have been displaced, injured or killed throughout the past two weeks has been a point of contention on some college campuses. Some protestors — including those at Harvard University, DeSantis’ alma mater — have called for recognition of Palestinians’ decades-long suffering under occupation.
DeSantis aimed at what he called “pro-Hamas protesters,” saying he would never consider hiring them in the future.
“Back in my day, (Harvard) was very liberal, but I would never have seen students that were celebrating terrorist attacks,” DeSantis said.
As for any potential U.S. involvement, DeSantis said U.S. troops shouldn’t be deployed for combat, noting that Israel has “never asked us to fight their wars for them.”
No plans to deploy U.S. troops for combat existed as of Wednesday, although about 2,000 U.S. troops are in a “heightened state of readiness” to deploy for other reasons, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
There have, however, been talks of a supplemental funding request that would include billions of dollars for Israel, Ukraine and border security – issues DeSantis said should be dealt with individually.
“I think these are separate debates, and I think these are separate issues,” DeSantis said.
While the Florida governor voiced his support for sanctioning Iran, he said he wouldn’t go so far as to suggest threatening the nation’s oil infrastructure — an idea U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina floated last week during an interview with The Hill.
“If hostages start getting killed, if Hezbollah in the north attacks Israel in strength, we should tell the ayatollah we will destroy your oil refineries and your oil infrastructure,” Graham said.
DeSantis, however, cautioned against “instigating a broader war throughout the Middle East.”
“I think that we can put Iran in the box using the leverage that we have without trying to create a major regional conflict,” he said.