​​​​​​​WASHINGTON

US Sen. Bernie Sanders urged the Senate to vote Thursday for a resolution blocking nearly $9 billion in military aid sought for Israel, arguing that the US must not "continue to be complicit in the destruction of the Palestinian people."

The vote will mark the independent senator’s second attempt to halt arms transfers to Israel amid the onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

"We as Americans are deeply complicit in all that is happening in Gaza. This is not some terrible event. This is not an earthquake in Myanmar. It's not something that we have nothing to do with, we are deeply complicit in all of this death and suffering," Sanders said on the Senate floor.

He noted that the US provided Israel with $18 billion in military aid and delivered more than 50,000 tons of military equipment last year.

"The time is long overdue for us to tell the Netanyahu government that we will not provide more weapons of destruction to them," he said. "Instead, we must demand an immediate ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of the hostages, and the rebuilding of Gaza for the Palestinian people."

The senator from the state of Vermont slammed Israel’s deadly military assault on Gaza, highlighting the high civilian death toll and extensive destruction.

"Within Gaza’s population of just 2.2 million people, more than 50,000 have been killed, and more than 113,000 have been injured, 60% of whom are women, children, and elderly people," he said. "That is 7.4% of the population of Gaza killed or wounded. If those same percentages were applied to the United States ... it would mean that over 25 million Americans would have been killed or wounded," he said.

Sanders also criticized Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid and accused the US of enabling the crisis by continuing military assistance.

"All of that is illegal and immoral and against American law. The Foreign Assistance Act is what we're talking about today, and the Arms Export Control Act, what we're talking about today, are very clear, United States cannot provide weaponry to countries that violate internationally recognized human rights or block us humanitarian aid," he added.

Sen, Chris Van Hollen from Maryland echoed Sanders’ concerns, criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

"Netanyahu and his extremist right-wing government have made it very clear that ending the fighting and securing the release of the remaining hostages is not their principal objective," said the Democratic lawmaker. "It is very well understood in Israel that Netanyahu’s priority is not bringing them home. His priority is his own political survival."