JERUSALEM

Rabbi Meir Mazuz, an Israeli rabbi and prominent Sephardic Jewish leader, has expressed opposition to sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, currently under an Israeli blockade and military attacks since Oct. 7.

Israel's Channel 7 reported that Rabbi Mazuz publicly disagreed with US President Joe Biden's proposal to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

“We must tell Biden this: You are right, if we were dealing with people, we would send humanitarian aid to Gaza, but we are dealing with animals,” the Jewish cleric said.

Previously, Rabbi Mazuz had defended the actions of Israeli terrorist Baruch Goldstein, who attacked Muslim worshippers at the Ibrahim Mosque in Hebron in 1994, claiming Goldstein had "prevented a very great danger" with the massacre.

Known for his fanatic views, Rabbi Meir Mazuz, 78, is considered the spiritual leader of the ultra-religious Shas Party, founded by Sephardic Jews.

Shas, which has been part of most ruling coalitions in Israel since 1984, is a partner in the coalition government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and is currently the fourth largest party in the country with 11 deputies in the Israeli Parliament.

The same rhetoric has been used before by Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, who likened the Palestinians to "animals". He said, "We are fighting against humanoid animals and we will act accordingly."

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi