WASHINGTON

An independent US senator said Monday that he can no longer support Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza, calling its actions “an affront to human decency” and urging an end to all US support unless there is a clear change in Israeli policy.

“I cannot defend the indefensible,” Angus King said in a statement. “Israel's actions in the conduct of the war in Gaza, especially its failure to address the unimaginable humanitarian crisis now unfolding, is an affront to human decency.”

Referring to the widespread famine conditions in the enclave, King said what “appears to be a deliberate-induced famine among a civilian population — including tens of thousands of starving children — can never be an acceptable military strategy.”

“For these reasons, I am through supporting the actions of the current Israeli government and will advocate—and vote—for an end to any United States support whatsoever until there is a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy,” he added.

In a separate statement, Rep. Andre Carson, a Democrat from Indiana, also condemned the Israeli government’s conduct and called for an arms embargo.

“The Israeli government has blocked humanitarian aid into Gaza for over eight months. Over 150 Gazans have been killed by starvation, 82 of those children,” Carson said. “Israeli strikes are targeting dozens of people seeking the little aid there is at what’s being described as humanitarian death traps.”

Calling it a “moral crisis,” Carson urged the imposition of an Israeli arms embargo and the delivery of “a full surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.” “Enough is enough,” he said.

The statements came amid growing alarm from humanitarian agencies over mass starvation in Gaza, where Palestinians have been enduring a blockade on food and aid.

Israel has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since the start of its genocidal war in October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities.