Social media users say the comments by the Israeli heritage minister fall in line with other genocidal comments made by top figures, including the president and the prime minister.
Social media users around the world have pounced back at Israel after a top minister on Sunday said that using a nuclear bomb against Gaza is an “option” in the ongoing deadly war on Palestine.
In an interview with Radio Kol Berama, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza is “one of the possibilities,” and dismissed a question on the lives of Israeli captives being held in Gaza, saying everything comes with a price.
The far-right minister also claimed there are “no non-combatants” in Gaza and said he objects to allowing humanitarian aid into the Strip, noting “We wouldn’t hand the Nazis humanitarian aid.”
The minister also suggested Palestinians “can go to Ireland or deserts, the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves” and claimed the Strip “has no right to exist”.
He also called for the death of all those waving a Palestinian or Hamas flag saying they “shouldn’t continue living on the face of the earth”.
The comments have triggered outrage around the world and come as Israel continues to wage one of its most deadliest wars on Gaza. So far, Israeli forces have killed at least 9,488 Palestinians, including 3,826 children.
Since launching its Gaza campaign on October 7, Israeli forces have targeted mostly civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and ambulances, triggering outrage worldwide.
Millions of human rights activists and pro-Palestine supporters around the world have flooded the streets of major cities around the world over the last month to call for a ceasefire and an end to Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
For many, Eliyahu’s comments, though shocking, come as no surprise.
“In Israel, objections to what Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said aren’t about the principle of dropping the nuclear bomb but rather about his lack of concern for Israeli hostages & his distortion of Israel’s image internationally. Israel already dropped the equivalent of 2,” tweeted Ahmed Abofoul on X.
According to a recent press statement from Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, since October 7, Israel has deployed over 25,000 tonnes of explosives on the Gaza Strip, an amount that is comparable to the force of two atomic bombs.
The advocacy organisation reported that the Israeli military has confirmed striking in excess of 12,000 sites within Gaza, delivering an average of around 10 kilograms of explosives for each person living in the densely populated area.
The rights group drew a stark comparison with historical events, noting that the total tonnage of the nuclear weapons the United States unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II in August 1945 was roughly 15,000 tonnes.
Euro-Med Monitor pointed out that, with modern advancements enhancing explosive yields, the ordinance used in Gaza could effectively have double the destructive capacity of a World War II-era nuclear bomb.
“We told you they are genocidal,” said Palestinian lawyer and former spokesperson for the Palestine Liberation Organization, Diana Buttu.
Other users said Eliyahu’s comments fall in line with other genocidal statements made by top Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself.
Last week, Netanyhu referenced the Biblical story of the Amalek people in what many described as a clear call for genocide.
“You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. 1 Samuel 15:3 ‘Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass’,” Netanyahu said.
Similar sentiments were shared by President Yitzhak Herzog said: “It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up. They could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza…We will fight until we break their backs”.
Israeli Likud party members Tally Gotliv also said: “Jericho Missile! Jericho Missile! Strategic alert. before considering the introduction of forces. Doomsday weapon! This is my opinion.
In an another post she said: “I urge you to do everything and use Doomsday weapons fearlessly against our enemies.” Adding that Israel “must use everything in its arsenal.”
Addressing the latest comments by the heritage minister, Palestinian analyst Yousef Munayyer stated:”Netanyahu suspended a government minister who called for dropping a nuke on Gaza even though much of the government has made genocidal statements and demands.
“Difference is this guy violated the Israeli govt policy of not admitting they have nukes”.
Given that this was the first ever public admission by an Israeli minister that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, many have renewed their calls for the disarmament of nuclear weapons in Israel.
“I urge all responsible individuals, governments, and international organizations to unite in calling for the immediate disarmament of nuclear weapons in Israel and the cessation of Israel’s nuclear capabilities…..Terrorist organizations shouldn’t have access to weapons of mass destruction,” Palestinian writer Jehad Abusalim said.
Shortly after the comments surfaced, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the indefinite exclusion of Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu from cabinet meetings.
In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said that “Minister Amichai Eliyahu’s statements are not based in reality.”
“Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents,” the statement claimed.
Meanwhile on Saturday, Israeli warplanes dropped several white phosphorus bombs on Al Shati Camp, which houses 90,000 refugees. White phosphorus bombs are banned by international humanitarian law as they cause severe burns and are incredibly incendiary.
On Friday, Special Rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council published a statement saying that Israel’s bombardment of the Jabalia refugee camp constitutes “a brazen violation of international law – and a war crime.”
