WASHINGTON

US Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday that he would immediately force votes to block offensive arms sales to Israel, citing escalating civilian deaths and famine in the Gaza Strip.

"U.S. taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars in support of the racist, extremist Netanyahu government. Enough is enough," Sanders said in a statement.

The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on two resolutions to block a $675.7 million arms package to Israel and to prohibit the sale of tens of thousands of fully automatic assault rifles.

Sanders said the US cannot continue to spend taxpayer money on the Netanyahu government, which has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, including women and children, since October 2023.

He added that the US cannot continue to support Israel, which "has blocked humanitarian aid, caused massive famine and literally starved the people of Gaza."

"The time is long overdue for Congress to use the leverage we have -- tens of billions in arms and military aid -- to demand that Israel end these atrocities," Sanders said.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued an offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 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 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.