'Complete disconnection': Ex-Israeli defense minister calls for denying all essential supplies to besieged Gaza

Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Wednesday for a complete separation between Israel and the Gaza Strip, advocating the denial of all essential supplies to the Palestinian enclave, including water, electricity, fuel, and goods.

This statement was the latest in an ongoing incitement campaign by Israeli officials against Gaza, which has been subjected to a bloody war for 320 days.

"The decision that must be made today is a complete separation between Israel and the Gaza Strip," Lieberman, the leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu Party, said on X.

"No electricity, no crossings, no water, no fuel and no goods, complete disconnection," he added.

Israel has imposed a tight siege on the Gaza Strip since the start of its brutal offensive on Oct. 7, 2023, cutting off water, electricity, and fuel supplies.

Little humanitarian aid is currently allowed through Israel, but it does not suffice the daily needs of the territory's 2.3 million population, who are now on the verge of famine.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and nearly 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities.

The ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.