Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, November 5, suspended Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu from the cabinet after he suggested nuclear bombing of Gaza Strip.
Eliyahu said that dropping of nuclear bomb on all of Gaza Strip was an option.
“This is one of the possibilities,” Eliyahu was quoted as saying in an interview with Radio Kol Berama when he was asked whether an nuclear bomb should be dropped on all of the Gaza, Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported.
Eliyahu also expressed his objection to “allowing any humanitarian aid into Gaza”.
“We wouldn’t hand the Nazis humanitarian aid,” the minister said. “There is no such thing as uninvolved civilians in Gaza.”
When asked about what would happen to the Palestinians if Gaza were to come to Israel, Eliyahu said that the “monsters in Gaza” can go to “Ireland or deserts” and find a solution by themselves, The Times of Israel reported.
He added, “Anyone who waves a Palestinian or Hamas flag should not continue to live on earth.”
Reacting to the comment, Netanyahu said in a statement, “Amichai Eliyahu’s words are not based in reality”.
“Israel and the IDF are acting in accordance with the highest standards of international law in order to prevent harm to uninvolved people, and we will continue to do that all the way to victory.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid had also slammed Eliyahu’s suggestion. “A shocking and crazy statement by an irresponsible minister. He harmed the families of the abductees, harmed Israeli society and harmed our international status. The presence of the extremists in the government endangers us and the success of the war goals – the victory of Hamas and the return of the kidnapped,” Lapid wrote on X.
“Netanyahu must fire him this morning.”
After his statements over the dropping of atomic bomb drew condemnation, Eliyahu said, “It is clear to all sensible people that the statement about the atom is metaphorical.”
“However, a strong and disproportionate response to terrorism is definitely required, which will clarify to the Nazis and their supporters that terrorism is not worthwhile. This is the only formula that democratic states can use to deal with terrorism,” he wrote on X.
“At the same time, it is clear that the State of Israel is committed to doing everything possible to return the hostages safe and sound.”
Since the war began on October 7, 9,488 Palestinians, including 3,900 children have been killed in Gaza and more than 1,400 people in Israel.
