US should not lose sight of Gaza disaster: Senator

WASHINGTON

Independent US Sen. Bernie Sanders warned Tuesday that the US should not forget the disaster in the Gaza Strip as tensions continue to simmer between Israel and Iran.

"While we pay attention to this developing Israeli-Iran crisis, I hope very much that we will not lose sight of the unprecedented humanitarian disaster now taking place in Gaza. We must not lose sight of that disaster," Sanders said on the Senate floor.

Stressing that what is happening in Gaza is "horrendous," he said: "It is inhumane and it is in gross violation of American and international law."

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, he said over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed and 77,000 wounded.

"Unbelievably, 5% of the residents of Gaza have been either killed or wounded in a six-month period -- 5% of their entire population. Two thirds of those who have been killed or wounded are women and children," Sanders said, adding that 1.7 million people, over 75% of the population of Gaza, have been driven from their homes.

The Senator underlined that the US should stop funding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Our new position must be simple and straightforward: not another nickel for the Netanyahu government if their present policies continue.

"The United States must use all of its leverage to secure an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and across the region and demand that the massive amount of humanitarian assistance that is needed to prevent famine and widespread humanitarian suffering is able to flow into Gaza," he added.

Israel has waged a military offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 33,800 Palestinians have since been killed and 76,600 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the seaside enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while much of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered it to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.