Amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas group, an Israeli minister has claimed that dropping a nuclear weapon on the Gaza Strip is an option.
In a radio interview on Sunday, Israel's far-right Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said there were “no non-combatants in Gaza”, adding that providing humanitarian aid to the war-torn region would be akin to “a failure”.
The minister was then asked that if he claimed there were no non-combatants in Gaza, was a nuclear attack in Gaza an option. “That’s one way,” he replied.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Eliyahu's statement was "divorced from reality" and that Israel and its army were acting according to international law to avoid harm to non-combatants.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 5, 2023
Minister Amihai Eliyahu's statements are not based in reality. Israel and the IDF are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents. We will continue to do so until our victory.
Later, several media reports claimed that the minister had been suspended from government meetings till further orders.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also called for Eliyahu's removal.
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Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also posted on his X account, calling Eliyahu's statements "baseless and irresponsible", adding that it was "good that these aren't the people in charge of Israel's security."
מגנה את דבריו חסרי הבסיס והאחריות של השר עמיחי אליהו.
— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) November 5, 2023
טוב שלא אלו האנשים המופקדים על ביטחון ישראל.
