US must focus on saving innocent Palestinians: Sen. Bernie Sanders

WASHINGTON

The US must focus on saving innocent Palestinians and advancing steps that can secure a lasting peace, independent US Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday.

"We cannot be complicit in the use of starvation as a weapon of war," Sanders said on X, adding that the US should not send Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government more money or weapons.

Sanders said as a result of US President Joe Biden's phone call with Netanyahu last week, Israel has taken a number of steps to improve humanitarian conditions and aid access, including opening additional border crossings.

"On Sunday, more than 300 trucks were cleared to cross into Gaza, the highest total since the war began ... These are welcome if long-overdue steps.

"But given Israel's horrendous humanitarian record thus so far, these commitments must be closely monitored on a daily basis," he added.

Food, water, and medical supplies must immediately reach people in desperate need throughout Gaza, Sanders said, adding: "The US government must demand daily updates on implementation of these steps."

Israel has waged a military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Over 33,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and nearly 76,000 injured besides causing mass destruction, displacement, and suffering.

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

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