gaza relatives
More than 1,400 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed since IDF's operation started on 8 July AFP

English producer and musician Brian Eno has strongly criticised the US for supporting Israel in committing what he has deemed the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians in the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Eno made the comment in an open letter, entitled Gaza and the Loss of Civilisation, published on David Byrne's website.

"Why does America continue its blind support of this one-sided exercise in ethnic cleansing? WHY? I just don't get it," he said.

"How bad does it look when the one country which more than any other grounds its identity in notions of liberty and democracy then goes and puts its money exactly where its mouth isn't and supports a ragingly racist theocracy?"

"As for the Peace Process: Israel wants the Process but not the Peace. While 'the process' is going on the settlers continue grabbing land and building their settlements... and then when the Palestinians finally erupt with their pathetic fireworks they get hammered and shredded with state-of-the-art missiles and depleted uranium shells because Israel 'has a right to defend itself' (whereas Palestine clearly doesn't)," he continued.

That is the culture our taxes are defending. It's like sending money to the Klan."

Eno's letter comes few days after the US admitted it resupplied Israel with weapons during the ongoing conflict.

IDF launched Operation Protective Edge to restore calm in southern Israel on 8 July, after more than 150 rockets were fired from Gaza into the country.

On 17 July, IDF also started a ground invasion of Gaza, aimed at destroying underground tunnels built by the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas .

More than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since the operation was launched.

The UN warned Israel might be committing war crimes, as at least 70% of the Palestinians killed were civilians.

The Israeli death toll stands at 61 soldiers and one civilian.