Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu has said that in the ongoing war with the Hamas terrorist group, “one of the possible options” for Israel is dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip.
A member of the Otzma Yehudit party in Israel, Eliyahu made these statements during a radio interview.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted Eliyahu for his comments, saying those are “not based in reality”.
Calling Gaza residents “Nazis”, Eliyahu also objected to the passage of humanitarian aid to the Strip. He said that there is “no such thing” as unassociated civilians in the Gaza Strip, indicating that everyone residing in the strife-torn region is in one or another connected with Hamas.
The far-right minister also supported retaking the Gaza Strip and restoring the settlements there. When asked about what would happen to the Palestinians should Gaza come to Israel, Eliyahu said that the “monsters in Gaza” could move to “Ireland or deserts” and should find a solution by themselves.
Hamas has been in power in the Gaza Strip since 2007 after the group won the parliamentary polls the preceding year. The region has been a flashpoint between Palestinians and Israelis for decades, and witnessed frequent conflicts.
During his radio interview, Eliyahu said that the northern Strip has no right to exist. He added that any individual who waves a Palestinian or Hamas flag should not live on the “face of the earth” any more.
Gazan health officials say more than 9,488 Palestinians have been killed in the war, which has escalated as Israel has sent its forces into the strip with a mission to defeat Hamas.
