Ankara: US Senator Bernie Sanders on Monday declared that Israel "did not have the right to commit genocide" in Gaza, asserting that Tel Aviv "should not get one nickel more from U.S. taxpayers." Speaking at an event in Minnesota, Sanders criticized Israel's aggressive military campaign on the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration "did not have the right to wage an all-out war against the Palestinian people."

According to Anadolu Agency, Sanders further stated that Israel "did not have the right to kill more than 73,000 Palestinians, mostly women, children, and the elderly," nor "the right to injure 173,000 people." He condemned the extensive destruction of Gaza's infrastructure, including schools, healthcare facilities, water systems, wastewater plants, and the electric grid. He highlighted that 92% of the housing units in Gaza were damaged or destroyed, concluding that Israel "did not have the right to commit genocide against the people of Gaza." Sanders insisted that the "Netanyahu extremist government in Israel should not get one nickel more from US taxpayers."

Despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, the Israeli army has continued its daily assaults in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 1,168 Palestinians and injuries to 3,798 others, as reported by the Health Ministry. The ongoing conflict since October 2023 has devastated the Gaza Strip, leaving it in ruins and causing a humanitarian crisis for its population of 2.4 million.