U.S. 'cannot continue to be complicit' in Gaza humanitarian disaster: Senator

The U.S. cannot be complicit in Israel's war in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian people, Independent Senator Bernie Sanders said Friday.

"For five days, almost no humanitarian aid has gotten into Gaza. Israel's military operation in Rafah has closed both main border crossings. No food, no water, no medicine, no fuel. Children are starving.

"The U.S. cannot continue to be complicit in this humanitarian disaster," Sanders said on X.

The Israeli army on Tuesday stormed and occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, closing Gazan Palestinians' only gateway to the world.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas which killed about 1,200 people.

More than 34,900 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and 78,514 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.