WASHINGTON

US Sen. Brian Schatz condemned the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday as a "moral tragedy" and a "strategic abomination."

"The mass starvation and death sweeping through Gaza is a moral tragedy and a strategic abomination," Schatz said on the Senate floor.

Decrying widespread starvation and civilian deaths occurring under Israel’s military campaign, Schatz said from the Senate floor that "what is happening today is entirely different."

"There is no excuse for this horrific suffering. It is not making Israel or Israelis or Jews any safer, nor is it helping to bring home the 50 remaining hostages," he said.

Schatz emphasized that while the war began in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, its continuation has raised concerns about the scale of force used and the resulting humanitarian impact.

"The fact that this catastrophe was preventable is precisely what makes it so indefensible," he said.   

'Conduct of this war is indefensible'

Turning to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is supported by the US, Schatz said it "has failed."

"Whether you believe that this organization was set up to fail intentionally from the start, or more charitably, that the Israeli government established it without understanding that it couldn't succeed, it doesn't matter. What is plainly obvious now is that it is not working," he said.

Since May 27, Israel has launched a separate aid distribution initiative through the GHF, bypassing the UN and international humanitarian agencies. The global relief community has widely rejected the move, calling it a "death trap" with more than 1,000 aid-seeking Palestinians killed during aid distribution.

Schatz accused members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of deliberately conflating Hamas with innocent Palestinian civilians.

"Too many people in the Netanyahu government make no distinction between the actual enemy that is Hamas and innocent civilians," he said.

Schatz stressed that Israel "is behaving terribly."

"The conduct of this war is indefensible," he added.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued an offensive on Gaza since late 2023, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.