1 of 2 | U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not shown) to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday. Photo by Miriam Alster/UPI | License Photo
President Joe Biden is scheduled to address the nation at 8 p.m. EDT Thursday to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The address comes a day after Biden returned from a trip to Tel Aviv, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is expected to discuss asking Congress for billions of dollars to support Israel and Ukraine. Advertisement
During his trip, Biden pressed Netanyahu to allow aid to reach Palestinian civilians affected by Israeli strikes in Gaza. He said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi agreed to open the Rafah border crossing to allow 20 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The conflict began Oct. 7 when Hamas breached security barriers and carried out a surprise attack on Israel. Israel launched airstrikes in response. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel and 3,400 people have been killed in Gaza.
Ongoing aid to Ukraine has been a sticking point for lawmakers in efforts to select a speaker of the House. Rep. Jim Jordan said Thursday he will continue to seek the speakership after two failed votes. Advertisement
Underscoring the importance of Ukraine in Biden’s speech, the White House said late Thursday that the president spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the televised address.
In the call, Biden stressed continued U.S. support for Ukraine as it battles against invading Russian forces, according to a statement released from the White House late Thursday.
