ofer cassif, a member of the knesset.oy, israeli political eric tlozek: the lowest place on earth, the dead sea, is slipping away. it's been the site of dramatic biblical stories, and the area is still contested today. david elhayani: this is the promised land by god to the jewish. eric: for millennia, treasured for its healing powers. male: i have skin issues, and the sea, when you're in it for a couple hours, it almost takes everything away. female: you're flowing. it's feeling wonderful, like, ooh. eric: modern-day pilgrims still come to bathe in the salty, mineral-rich waters.

ofer cassif, a member of the knesset.oy, israeli political >>> hello and welcome to the nhk newsline . we have the stories at this hour. israel has imposed a complete sees on the gaza strip as it continues to carry out airstrikes in retaliation for incursions into israeli territory. the country's military is called a

amy: an israeli parliament ethics committee has suspended knesset member ofer cassif for 45 days after he criticized israel's assault on gaza. his suspension comes as israeli authorities have arrested more than 100 israeli citizens over social media posts supporting palestinians in gaza. at least 70 israeli university students face suspension or other disciplinary action for posting pro-palestinian sentiments online. to see our interview, go to democracynow.org. in washington, d.c., vermont independent senator bernie sanders has blocked legislation that would have effectively barred u.s. humanitarian aid from reaching gaza. on wednesday, sanders objected when florida republican senator rick scott tried to pass the so-called stop taxpayer funding of hamas act. >> right now there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women, and children in gaza who have lost their homes. they have been thrown out of their homes. they have no food. they have no water. they have no fuel. i remind my colleagues that half of those people are children. amy: pentagon chief lloyd austin has or