It was at a conference last week that Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich talked about emergency aid to Gaza.
We have no choice. No one will accept that we let two million people starve to death, even if it would be defensible and morally justifiable to get our hostage back, he said.
Now his statement is receiving sharp criticism from the USA.
"We are appalled by these comments and want to remind that this rhetoric is both harmful and offensive", it says in a written comment from the US State Department, writes The Times of Israel.
The EU, like France and the UK, condemns Smotrich's statement and emphasizes that intentional starvation of civilians is a war crime.
Smotrich's comments "show contempt for international law and fundamental humanitarian principles. We expect the Israeli government to distance itself from the minister's words", it says in a comment from the EU.
