Benjamin Netanyahu reprimands far-right Israeli minister for saying nuclear strike on Gaza an option
source : www.skynews.com.au
An Israeli minister has been barred from cabinet meetings for suggesting that one of the options in Israel’s war against Hamas would be to carry out a nuclear attack on Gaza.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu made the alarming comment during an interview on Radio Kol Berama on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported.
When asked whether an atomic bomb should be dropped on Palestinian territory, Eliyahu reportedly replied: “This is one of the possibilities.”
The comment was quickly condemned by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who suspended Eliyahu “until further notice.”
“Amichai Eliyahu’s words are divorced from reality,” Netanyahu said in an X statement.
“Israel and the IDF act in accordance with the highest standards of international law to prevent harm to uninvolved people and will continue to do so until victory.”
Netanyahu also noted that Eliyahu – who is a member of Israel’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party – is not a member of Israel’s emergency war cabinet.
Eliyahu also expressed his objection to allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, claiming that “there is no such thing as uninvolved civilians.”
“We would not provide humanitarian aid to the Nazis,” he said.
In a post on social media, Eliyahu described the comment as “metaphorical.”
“It is clear to anyone sensible that the nuclear remark was metaphorical,” Eliyahu said.
However, he added that a “strong and disproportionate response to terrorism is absolutely required.”
source : www.skynews.com.au
