the Biden Administration today formally asked Congress for billions of dollars in emergency aid for Israel and Gaza a package the President says will provide both military help and humanitarian assistance there's also funding included for conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere the request was made during a rare prime time Oval Office Speech Thursday night and comes as the Israeli Prime Minister's office confirms Hamas has released two American hostages a mother and daughter from Chicago meanwhile conditions in the Gaza Strip are deteriorating more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed according to gaza's health Ministry humanitarian workers warned the shortage of fuel food and water have created life or death situations and trucks packed with supplies are being held up on Egypt side of the Rafa Crossing President Biden in his speech called the need to help both Israel defend itself and the innocent civilians tra in the deadly War an inflection point in American history senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports is a smart investment that's going to pay dividends for American Security for Generations President Biden made his case for an unprecedented hundred billion foreign aid package most of it intended to fund military operations in Ukraine and Israel to democracies at War and at risk emphasizing that America needs to lead the fight against Terror he renewed us commitment is a smart investment that's going to pay dividends for American Security for Generations we're going to make sure Iron Dome continues to guard the Skies over Israel we're going to make sure other hostile actors in the region know that Israel is stronger than ever and prevent this conflict from spreading I think you should look at it as an investment Ary bear is a Somerset County resident with family in Israel he says they welcomed Biden's support and the aid package Bear's got cousins serving in the Israeli Defense Forces definitely there is a a sense of Revenge and the rage is unbelievable but I I would say that more so the people in Israel just don't want innocent people to die Biden's speech only his second prime time address to the nation came a day after he visited Tel Aviv he spoke of Israeli grief and anger following the brutal October 7th Hamas attack but Biden also addressed the plight of Palestinians caught in Israel's pounding retaliation and blockade vital supplies the United States remains committed to the Palestinian people right to dignity and to self-determination the actions of amas terrorist don't take that right away we mourn every innocent life lost we can't ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians who only want to live in peace they are not really trying to get rid of Hamas they're just right now ethnic cleansing and doing genocide to a Palestinian people daa Abu farz lives in Clifton her dad's in Northern Gaza he has dual citizenship but won't leave his family she criticized the aid to Israel when they're sending billions of dollars to Israel they're basically harming more civilian Palestinian civilians because you're giving money to the people who's hurting us in the first place the 106 billion request ties together aid for several purposes including 61 billion for military aid to Ukraine 14 billion for the aid to Israel and 9 billion in humanitarian Aid Biden also explained he' negotiated with Egypt to open the Rafa checkpoint and permit truckloads of food water and medicine to roll safely into Gaza but he did not call for the ceasefire demanded by protesters and some members of Congress Palestinians and Jewish communities Across the Nation have also reported a spike in hate crimes including a six-year-old Palestinian boy stabbed to death just outside Chicago Biden denounced the violence we can't stand by and stand silent when this happens we must without equivocation denounce anti-Semitism we must also without equivocation denounce islamophobia the President also promised that securing release of American hostages held by Hamas remains His Highest priority as he spoke thousands gathered in Time Square including the sister of Edon Alexander a tly high school graduate who was serving in the IDF alongside more than 200 others Don is being held as a hostage in so what happens next with the house in disarray and unable to vote not much making the president's Aid package a political hostage I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight News NJ Spotlight News