Not another nickel for Netanyahu's war machine: U.S. Senator

The U.S. should stop funding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "cruel war" in the Gaza Strip, independent Senator Bernie Sanders said Wednesday.

"History will judge what we do right now. History will judge whether we stand with starving children, whether we uphold American values, or we provide massive aid to a war machine that is operating in an unbelievably barbaric way," Sanders said.

"The United States must make it clear. Not another nickel for Netanyahu's war machine."

Sanders said Israel must open the borders and allow the UN to deliver supplies in "sufficient quantities" throughout all of Gaza and Israel must stop its military operation.

The world is currently witnessing "one of the worst humanitarian disasters" in modern history, he said.

"The United States of America cannot and must not be complicit in this unspeakable tragedy. We cannot be complicit in starvation as a military strategy. We cannot be complicit in the physical and emotional destruction of an entire generation of beautiful Palestinian children," he added.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and more than 74,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.