Calls from Capitol Hill lawmakers to freeze the $6 billion in Iranian funds reached through controversial negotiations increased this week. 

Nearly 20 GOP senators are calling on the Biden administration to freeze the funds that were released to a Qatar account in exchange for five American prisoners last month. 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., led a group of GOP senators on Tuesday, urging the administration to ‘limit Iran’s ability to provide support to Hamas.’ 

She blamed President Biden for sending Palestine over $730 million in aid since taking office through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. 

‘And yesterday, we learned Hamas stole aid from that group,’ Blackburn said. ‘I’ll be introducing legislation to halt all funding for them until Iran is expelled from the UN and investigated for violations.’

‘We must permanently freeze the $6 billion ransom payment to Iran,’ she added. ‘We must halt taxpayer dollars going to the Palestinians, and we must secure our own southern border, and we must stand with Israel.’

Meanwhile, Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; John Kennedy, R-La.; and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., linked arms to introduce legislation to also freeze the assets. 

The bill — which senators are seeking a unanimous vote to pass — states ‘any statutory sanctions imposed with respect to Iran… that were waived, suspended, reduced or otherwise relieved pursuant to an agreement between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran… are hereby reinstated.’ 

‘We have reams, reams of evidence that the regime that chants ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel’ puts its money where its mouth is,’ McConnell said on the floor Tuesday morning.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., is also seeking to block the $6 billion in a bill he introduced Tuesday, which revokes the waiver granted by the Biden administration to release the frozen Iranian funds.

In September, the Biden administration announced it reached an agreement with Iran in which Iran would release five American citizens in return for the Biden administration issuing a waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. Marshall’s bill seeks to revoke the waiver.

‘Hamas is just the puppet, doing the dirty work of the puppet master — Iran,’ Marshall said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘Blood is on Iran’s hands, their fingerprints are all over this attack.’

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, also unveiled his legislation on Tuesday. Scott is seeking unanimous consent on his bill, which would handicap the Treasury and State departments to relax U.S. sanctions on Iranian assets. 

The U.S. has a ‘quiet agreement’ with Qatar to block Iran from accessing the $6 billion in humanitarian aid amid Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel, sources familiar with the move told Fox News last week.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo met with House Democrats on Thursday. Sources familiar with the meeting told Fox News that Adeyemo told lawmakers that the U.S. has a quiet agreement with Qatar not to move any of the $6 billion in unfrozen money to Iran for an indefinite period.

A source present in the room told Fox News Digital that Adeyemo told congressional Democrats in that meeting that the U.S. has reached ‘quiet understanding’ with Qatar not to move the money.

Over in the House, China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., led a bipartisan group of nearly 100 House lawmakers last Wednesday to urge President Biden to refreeze the $6 billion as well. 

At least 1,400 have been killed in Israel and thousands wounded since Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on the nation on Oct. 7.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday that the rocket strike against a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians is an ‘unspeakable crime’ and called for both Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists to bring the ongoing violence in Israel to an end.

The independent senator also described the killings of more than a thousand Israelis carried out by Hamas as an ‘unspeakable crime.’

‘The slaughter of over a thousand Israelis by Hamas in a terrorist attack is an unspeakable crime,’ Sanders said in a statement. ‘The bombing of a Palestinian hospital is an unspeakable crime, as is the displacement of a million people without water, food, and medicine.’

More than 4,200 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against the Jewish State in decades on October 7, leading to retaliatory action from Israeli forces. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.

‘These unspeakable crimes must stop now. The bombs and missiles from both sides must end, massive humanitarian aid must be rushed to Gaza, and the hostages must be returned to their families.’ Sanders said.

Health officials in Gaza accused the Israeli forces of launching an airstrike against the hospital, although that claim has been disputed by Israel’s officials, who claim the rocket was a misfire launch by the Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

Last week, Sanders, who condemned Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel, said the international community must focus on ‘reducing humanitarian suffering and protecting innocent people on both sides of this conflict.’

‘The targeting of civilians is a war crime, no matter who does it,’ he said in a statement at the time. Israel’s blanket denial of food, water, and other necessities to Gaza is a serious violation of international law and will do nothing but harm innocent civilians.’ 

‘The United States has rightly offered solidarity and support to Israel in responding to Hamas’ attack,’ he continued. ‘But we must also insist on restraint from Israeli forces attacking Gaza and work to secure UN humanitarian access. Let us not forget that half of the two million people in Gaza are children. Children and innocent people do not deserve to be punished for the acts of Hamas.’

Pentagon officials say weapons sent to Israel for defense against attacks from Hamas were sent without any preconditions, unlike weapons sent to Ukraine.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh was asked by reporters whether weapons sent to Israel came with any preconditions.

Earlier in the day, a Hamas-controlled hospital in the Gaza Strip was hit by an airstrike, which was later determined by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to be a misfired missile from a barrage of missiles connected to Islamic Jihad.

The first plane carrying U.S. armaments landed in Israel last week, which contained munitions ‘designed to facilitate significant military operations and increase preparedness for other scenarios,’ IDF officials said, though the types of weapons or military equipment received was not disclosed.

After learning of the attack on the hospital, Singh was asked if there was any concern in the Department of Defense that the U.S. could be involved in possible war crimes committed against civilians.

‘What I will say is that exactly what you just said, is that we did not put any preconditions on Israel when it comes to using our security assistance,’ she said. ‘From the beginning, what we have said is that governments like us, or democracies, is what separates ourselves from Hamas. We certainly expect Israel, as with any ally or partner, to uphold the law of war.’

A few minutes later, another reporter pointed to Israel’s ‘very long and well documented history of targeting and killing civilians,’ asking why not just tell the country based on their history, the U.S. was putting end-use monitoring systems in place to track the weapons the same way they track in other countries, like Ukraine.

Singh said the Pentagon was confident in its discussions with Israeli officials, reiterating that preconditions were not placed on Israel simply because it is a democracy and the country should follow the law of war.

‘What I can tell you, again, is what [Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin] has been very clear on, is that we expect Israel to uphold the law of war…,’ she said.

Conditions were placed on Ukrainians, particularly with cluster munitions, and Ukrainian officials are required to tell the U.S. government where they have been used, while also being required to keep a list of how they were used and on what targets.

‘I would say that both Ukraine and Israel are engaged in two very different wars right now,’ Singh said in response to an inquiry of whether the U.S. trusts Israel more than Ukraine. ‘I would say that the way that the Ukrainians are employing the [dual-purpose improved conventional munitions] on the battlefield is responsible. They are keeping track of where they are going.’

She explained that tracking the munitions was for Ukraine’s safety and security, because when they start taking back their territory, they will need to clear those to avoid civilian casualties.

‘Israel is one of our oldest, longest partners in the region,’ Singh said. ‘This attack is considered their 9/11. They have every right and should respond to the terrorists that killed innocent people.

‘But again, we have to remember that they were attacked viciously on Oct. 7,’ she added.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Iran’s top envoy warned Monday that ‘preemptive action’ against Israel is expected soon as the Jewish state continues bombarding Gaza but has so far delayed a ground operation. 

‘Leaders of the Resistance will not allow the Zionist regime to take any action in Gaza,’ Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on state TV Monday, according to Reuters’s translation. ‘All options are open, and we cannot be indifferent to the war crimes committed against the people of Gaza.’ 

‘The resistance front is capable of waging a long-term war with the enemy [Israel]… in the coming hours, we can expect a preemptive action by the resistance front,’ he added. 

Earlier Monday, Iranian state media reported that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call that, ‘There is a possibility of the conflict between Israel and Palestinians expanding to other fronts.’ 

Raisi reportedly said Iranian foreign policy supports the Palestinians, but ‘resistance’ groups make their own independent decisions, according to Reuters. 

On Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a group of students in Tehran that ‘no one can stop’ global Islamist forces if Israel keeps up its bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza, according to reports by the Times of Israel and Reuters. 

‘No one can confront Muslims and the resistance forces if the Zionist regime’s crimes against Palestinians continue. The bombardment of Gaza must stop immediately,’ Khamenei reportedly said amid chants of ‘Death to Israel.’ 

‘The world is witnessing the Zionist regime’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,’ he added. 

‘We must respond, we must react to what is happening in Gaza,’ Khamenei said. 

The comments come as the exchange of fire increased along Israel’s northern border with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Last week, Khamenei denied that Iran was responsible for Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack but still celebrated the Tehran-backed terror group’s assault as an ‘irreparable’ military and intelligence defeat for Israel. 

Also Tuesday, the Fars news agency quoted Iranian Revolutionary Guards Deputy Commander-in-Chief Ali Fadavi as warning of more attacks by militants if Israel did not stop its bombardment of Gaza. ‘The resistance front’s shocks against the Zionist regime will continue until this ‘cancerous tumour’ is eradicated from the world map,’ Fadavi said.

More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza when terrorists launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7. The Jewish state responded by declaring war against Hamas and bombarding the Gaza Strip with air strikes. 

Israel is bolstering troops at the border with Gaza in preparation for a ground operation. 

The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,778 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. Another 1,200 people across Gaza are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed President Biden on Tuesday accusing him of prioritizing humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has reportedly been compromised by Hamas in the past, over rescuing American and Israeli hostages.

‘Innocent Americans and Israelis are being held hostage by Hamas terrorists, yet Biden is more focused on sending ‘humanitarian aid’ to Gaza that will be commandeered by Hamas terrorists,’ the GOP presidential candidate posted on X Tuesday.  

‘Biden should work with Israel to free all American and Israeli hostages, not shower Hamas with money.’

The DeSantis post included a screenshot of a Reuters news article with the headline ‘US and Israel to develop aid plan for Gaza civilians, Blinken says.’

‘Palestinian leadership is already bankrolling Hamas’ atrocities against Israel and Biden wants to send aid into Gaza that will further support terrorist activity,’ DeSantis said in a follow-up post. ‘As President, I wouldn’t send a single dollar into Gaza.’

Biden has been widely criticized by Republicans for not moving quickly enough to secure the release of American hostages in Israel following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 as well as not doing enough to help the thousands of Americans stranded in Israel find a way home.

DeSantis recently took matters into his own hands by signing an executive order authorizing his state to send planes and resources to Israel to rescue stranded Americans.

DeSantis announced earlier this week that a flight carrying 270 people stranded in Israel landed in Tampa Bay, Florida.

‘I am proud of how quickly we have been able to activate resources and do what the federal government could not – get Floridians and other Americans back home, reunited with their families, free of charge,’ DeSantis said in a press release.

The State Department announced last Wednesday, four days after the Hamas attack, that ‘the U.S. government will arrange charter flights to assist U.S. citizens and their immediate family members who have been unable to book commercial transit and seek a safe means of departing Israel’ starting on Friday. 

Hamas is believed to be holding 199 Israelis hostages while 13 Americans are currently unaccounted for and are possibly being held by the terror group as well.

Additionally, questions have been raised about Hamas’s ability to access humanitarian aid sent to Palestinian refugees.

Fox News Digital reported on Saturday that the Biden administration has sent hundreds of millions in taxpayer money, including tens of millions in COVID relief funds, to a United Nations agency accused of harboring Hamas terrorists in the past.

‘The USA should not be placing conditions on our support for Israel because of demands from the ‘Squad,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said this week.  

‘Humanitarian aid repeatedly ends up in the hands of Hamas terrorists who use it to build rockets & kill more Israelis. We should immediately halt U.S. aid for the Palestinians.’

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, lost the first-round vote to be House speaker on Tuesday after 20 Republicans joined all Democrats to shoot down his candidacy.

Seven Republicans voted for Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., who was the previous speaker-designate before being forced to withdraw due to mounting opposition. Six GOP lawmakers voted for ousted ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and three moderate New York Republicans voted for former GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York.

Additional votes were cast for House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

Jordan told reporters later on Tuesday that he intended to hold another vote later in the day. 

‘We need to get a speaker as soon as possible to get back to work for the American people,’ he said. 

But there appears to be some friction going on behind closed doors. A source familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital that Jordan and Scalise met after the vote. During the meeting, Jordan asked for Scalise’s support for speaker, but Scalise would not commit, the source said. 

A spokesperson for Scalise told Fox News Digital that the report was ‘not accurate.’

‘Leader Scalise has been the only candidate throughout this process who has publicly declared he will be supportive of whomever the conference nominates for Speaker, and his position has not changed. He voted for Jim Jordan on the floor and will continue to do so,’ the spokesperson said.

Jordan was selected to be the House GOP’s candidate for speaker in an anonymous vote last week, but it became immediately clear that it would be an uphill battle to win the support of moderates and other wary establishment Republicans.

The latter had been Republicans’ original speaker-designate after McCarthy’s ouster two weeks ago. But opposition, primarily from Jordan allies who insisted they would vote for the Ohio Republican no matter what, forced him to drop out just a day later.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning, Jordan would not answer when asked how many rounds of voting he was willing to hold.

‘We need to get a speaker as soon as possible,’ he said instead.

A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News the United States secretly sent the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to Ukraine and that Ukraine has successfully used them. 

The missiles have a range of about 100 miles. 

In an evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself later confirmed Tuesday that the United States has quietly delivered the long-range ballistic missiles that Kyiv said it urgently needed and that President Biden promised last month. 

‘Thank you to everyone who is fighting and working for Ukraine!’ he said in the video shared on his Telegram account. ‘Thank you to everyone who is helping us! And today I am especially grateful to the United States. Our agreements with President Biden are being implemented. And they are being implemented very accurately – ATACMS have proven themselves.’ 

‘ATACMS. More to come,’ Ukraine’s defense ministry wrote on X, accompanied by American and Ukrainian flags.

The delivery of the ATACMS, was shrouded in secrecy, with the expectation that the first public acknowledgment would come when the missiles were used on the battlefield. That intense secrecy is a marked change from previous U.S. weapons sent by the Biden administration. In nearly all other cases, the U.S. has publicly announced its decision prior to the weapons and equipment being shipped overseas.

However, the Pentagon has said before not every weapon sent to Ukraine is listed in the official PDA announcement.

Because of lingering U.S. concerns about escalating tensions with Russia, the ATACMS version that went to Ukraine will have a shorter range than the maximum distance the missiles can have, according to The Associated Press, which cited sources of their own to confirm the U.S. shipment. While some versions of the missiles can go as far as about 180 miles, the ones sent to Ukraine have a shorter range and carry cluster munitions, which, when fired, open in the air, releasing hundreds of bomblets rather than a single warhead.

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces claimed that a nighttime attack on targets in eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed nine Russian helicopters and other military equipment and personnel at two airfields in Russia-occupied regions.

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces also claimed to have hit military equipment, an air-defense system, ammunition warehouses and runways, a statement said. Dozens of Russian military personnel were injured in the attack codenamed Operation Dragonfly, it said.

The ATACMS would be key in Ukraine’s ability to hit the airfield in Berdyansk since it is within striking distance of the shorter-range version of the missile, and the cluster munitions would be effective in hitting multiple targets. The closest Ukrainian troop positions on the western bank of the Dnieper River are just about 100 miles from Berdyansk.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The House Democrats’ campaign arm sent a memo to blue members with messaging guidance on ‘GOP extremism’ under a potential speakership helmed by current House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Fox News Digital obtained the memo sent out by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) with talking points and communications guidance as Jordan continues his quest for the speaker’s gavel.

‘A Speaker Jordan means extremism and far-right priorities will govern the House of Representatives,’ the guidance reads.

‘It is imperative that our caucus makes clear to voters just how extreme Congressman Jordan is and how his Speakership would negatively impact working families across the country, threaten democratic norms, and weaken relationships with our allies,’ the memo continues.

Jordan was selected as the GOP nominee for speaker on Friday after weeks of deliberations that saw the initial nominee — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., — drop out of the race.

The ‘messaging guidance’ gives Democrat members several talking points against a Jordan speakership, including that it ‘appears there are no more moderates left in the Republican conference capable of standing up to the far right.’

‘Jordan will only win the speakership if so-called ‘moderates’ continue to cave and get him there,’ the guidance reads. ‘Every Republican who votes for Jordan for Speaker is simply following Trump’s marching orders– it’s clear Republicans are incapable of governing themselves and instead look to the indicted former president for guidance on everything.’

The talkers also suggest members say ‘Jordan has shown voters just how extreme he is and there is no indication that he’ll moderate himself in any way if he becomes speaker’ and that Jordan will ‘pull the entire Republican caucus even further to the right.’

‘House Democrats stand ready to work across the aisle to lower costs for working families and make our communities safer,’ the last talking point reads. ‘With a Speaker Jordan, that isn’t likely. Jim Jordan is one of the least bipartisan members of Congress, coming nearly dead last on the Lugar Center’s bipartisanship score.’

The messaging memo also highlighted controversies about Jordan, including that the speaker nominee ‘sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election and has refused to comply with multiple subpoenas seeking to uncover details of the January 6 insurrection.’

‘Jordan is a conspiracy theorist who has espoused talking points associated with the Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory in official government hearings,’ the memo reads.

‘Jordan is a founding member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, whose ‘our way or no way’ approach has torpedoed comprehensive immigration reform, sought repeatedly to kill the Affordable Care Act, and led the charge on multiple government shutdowns,’ it continues.

The DCCC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the memo.

The Democrats’ messaging memo comes as Jordan potentially closes in on the speaker’s gavel.

The House is convening on Tuesday for the first expected ballot on Jordan’s bid for the big chair.

Jordan has been making calls for days since getting the nomination to shore up support for his candidacy— but nothing in Washington is guaranteed.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, faces an unclear path to the speakership after securing the GOP nomination.

In the chaotic fight to replace recently ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Jordan has been making calls to shore up support for his bid after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., the initial nominee, bowed out due to a lack of support in the divided Republican caucus.

However, Jordan does not necessarily need to get the required House majority to take the gavel. The House has elected a speaker a few times in history on a plurality rather than an outright majority.

The House is allowed to decide how the speaker election is held, according to House Practice, so changing the threshold is an option on the table.

In fact, there have been two plurality elections to decide the House speaker in American history.

In 1856, during the 34th Congress ahead of the Civil War, the House faced a fractured chamber after concessions and dividing lines over slavery had been burned into the sand.

A fledgling Republican Party, a decimated Democratic Party, the nativist American (Know-Nothing) Party and a declining Whig Party could not decide on a top House lawmaker.

When voting began, 21 members received votes backing them for speaker on the first ballot, throwing the House into a deadlock that lasted two months.

Amid the votes, American Party Rep. Felix Zollicoffer of Tennessee introduced and passed a House resolution having the three top candidates for speaker to ‘publicly state their opinions of Congress’ recent actions on the spread of slavery to the western territories.’

Even after the questioning session the House could not decide on a speaker.

That deadlock was broken when the House voted to reduce the threshold to elect the speaker from the traditional simple majority to a plurality election.

After 133 votes, Speaker Nathaniel Banks of the Know-Nothings was elected as speaker of the 34th Congress with 103 votes backing him.

Before then, during the 31st Congress in 1849, the House was without a speaker for 19 days with neither the Whigs and Democrats holding a House majority and the Free Soil Party splitting the votes further.

The first ballot was a split one that did not yield a speaker, leading to several weeks of elections to determine the leader of the House. 

After 13 ballots, then-Rep. Andrew Johnson of Tennessee proposed a resolution to lower the speaker election threshold to a plurality as well as an amendment to ballot the election.

The resolution and amendment passed, and Georgia Democrat Rep. Howell Cobb was elected speaker via plurality after 63 votes, three votes after the rules had been changed.

Jordan, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, has made headway, flipping key no votes to support him, but there is still a real chance that his bid will be dashed on the House floor.

Scalise faced a problem that Jordan is working to solve: Getting the numbers up in a slim majority to propel him behind the gavel.

Historically, there is precedent for a plurality speaker election, but the move is risky if the math does not add up.

Any miscalculation on votes in a plurality election would run the risk of the GOP inadvertently handing the speakership to the Democrats, should GOP members break from the party.

However, should the GOP need a nuclear option to choose a new speaker, historical precedent provides one.

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady and Matteo Cina contributed reporting.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken exchanged a warm greeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.

The pair met in Amman, Jordan, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Blinken remained silent when reporters asked whether he was hopeful that aid would begin flowing in the near future, however.

While the U.S. has fully endorsed Israel’s right to defend itself and to retaliate against Hamas terrorists, President Biden’s administration has distinguished between Hamas and the Palestinian people.

Blinken smiled and shook Abbas’ hand as they joked that the U.S. official should buy a house in Amman given how much time he had been spending in the region.

Abbas and Blinken’s meeting comes as Israel is poised to begin a ground invasion of Northern Gaza. The Israeli military has spent nearly a week warning Gaza residents to flee toward the south, though Hamas has sought to obstruct that movement.

Blinken held a similar meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. There, he reiterated America’s support for Israel, but also highlighted the humanitarian situation.

Israel has not set a date for its invasion of Gaza, though it has been delayed from initial plans.

The Biden administration’s push for aid for Palestinians has received some criticism at home. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has argued that the aid will simply fall into the hands of Hamas. Several Republican 2024 presidential candidates have also stated that the U.S. must not accept any refugees from Gaza.

Egypt, Jordan and Gaza’s other Arab neighbors have also refused to accept refugees from the conflict.

Biden is scheduled to travel to Israel personally later Tuesday.