WASHINGTON

The US State Department on Thursday dismissed a claim by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir that top Republicans support bombing "food and aid warehouses" in Gaza, saying his remarks are a “complete contradiction” to US policy.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Ben-Gvir’s comments were made “on his own” and had not been “confirmed or discussed.”

“It is, of course, in complete contradiction to the nature of our commitment to getting food aid and assistance” into Gaza, Bruce said.

Ben-Gvir, a far-right member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet, claimed on social media that senior Republicans he met with at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida supported his call to bomb aid depots in Gaza.

"I had the honor and privilege to meet with senior officials of the Republican Party at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. They expressed support for my very clear position on how to act in Gaza and that the food and aid warehouses should be bombed in order to create military and political pressure to bring our hostages home safely," the minister said in an X post translated from Hebrew.

Trump was not present at the event, according to his official schedule. A State Department spokesperson told Anadolu that they have "no information about the contents of this private meeting."

The UN warned this week that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached its most critical point since the war began in October 2023. Since March 2 this year, Israel has shuttered key crossings into the enclave, blocking the entry of vital supplies, despite repeated warnings of famine and widespread suffering in the war-ravaged strip.

“The United States supports the flow of humanitarian aid with safeguards to ensure assistance is not diverted, looted or misused by terrorist groups,” Bruce told reporters during the briefing.

“Stopping the slaughter, getting aid and food in -- that has been a North Star for this administration, for Trump and for (Secretary of State Marco) Rubio from the beginning,” she said, emphasizing continued support for Israel while also pushing to stop the violence and meet humanitarian needs in Gaza.