A White House official has slammed Republican senator JD Vance for spreading “shameful lies” that US taxpayer dollars had funded a wave of unprecedented attacks by Palestinian militants that have claimed at least 200 Israeli lives.

Top Republicans sought to blame the Biden administration for Hamas’ deadly raids by linking it to the $6bn in frozen oil profits that were released to Iran in August for humanitarian purposes in exchange for the release of five Americans who were detained in the country.

Iran has historically provided weapons and funding to Hamas, a militant group that controls Gaza and has claimed responsibility for the deadly wave of rocket attacks, killings and kidnappings that sparked a declaration of war by Israel on Saturday.

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White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates responded by accusing the senator of fuelling misinformation.

Mr Bates wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that no taxpayer money was involved in the Iran deal, none of the $6bn had been spent yet, and that the funds could only be used by private actors to “provably buy food and medicine”.