Protesters have again interrupted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's testimony before Congress, denouncing his support for Israel amid its brutal genocidal war in besieged Gaza.
Palestinian American activist Sumer Mobarak on Wednesday shouted at Rubio as he was testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the State Department’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026.
"Marco Rubio has taken over a million AIPAC money to kill Palestinian babies," she yelled, referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) pro-Israel lobbying group, before being arrested by security officers.
A second protester stood up moments later to voice opposition to the Trump administration’s Gaza policy, though his words were inaudible.
As security removed the protester, Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean, who questioned Rubio about Gaza, remarked: "Innocent children are dying."
Outside the hearing room, a group of demonstrators chanted: "Rubio lies, people die," while holding signs criticising US military support for Israel.
Yair Golan says a sane country doesn't target civilians, murder infants for sport, or aim to expel Indigenous populations.
Israel's weaponisation of food
Since March 2, Israel has kept Gaza crossings closed to food, medical and humanitarian aid, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
On Monday, it allowed a limited amount of aid into the enclave, which UN officials described as "a drop in the ocean."
Rubio, who faced Gaza war protests on Tuesday as well, said that the US expects humanitarian aid flows into Gaza to increase "over the next few days and weeks," and that Washington has been engaging with Israeli officials to press for the resumption of aid deliveries.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher has warned that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die within two days without immediate access to food and medical care.
On Tuesday, an ex-Israeli military general accused Israel's extremist government of "killing babies as a pastime" in Gaza.
Protesters disrupt US Secretary of State's Senate hearing, objecting to Washington's steadfast support for Israel's carnage in Gaza, where Tel Aviv has weaponised food aid as a tool to punish genocide-hit Palestinians.
US 'complicity'
The Israeli army has pursued a genocide against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 64,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, rejecting international demands for a ceasefire. The dead include some 11,000 Palestinians feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Washington allocates $3.8 billion in annual military funding to its long-standing ally Israel.
Since October 2023, the US has spent more than $22 billion supporting Israel's war in Gaza and neighbouring countries.
Despite senior US officials criticising Israel regarding the high civilian death toll in Gaza, Washington has, thus far, resisted calls to place conditions on any arms transfers.
