Photo: AFP / JONATHAN ERNST
US President Joe Biden has used a rare Oval Office speech to urge Americans to get behind billions more dollars in spending for Israel and Ukraine.
Biden said US backing was critical for the two major allies immersed in wars.
Watch Biden's speech here:
In the address, Biden sought to link Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip who attacked Israel to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine.
"Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: They both want to annihilate a neighboring democracy," he said.
Israel is poised to launch a ground offensive to root out Palestinian Hamas militants from Gaza and tensions are at a fever pitch after a deadly blast at a Gaza hospital.
Biden said Israel was not responsible for the blast, as Hamas officials had asserted, but said: "We can't ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians who only want to live in peace and have opportunity.
"We cannot give up on peace."
- Reuters
Follow updates with RNZ's blog: