Netanyahu Suspends Israeli Minister Who Suggested Dropping Nuke on Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that a junior member of his cabinet had been suspended from meetings “until further notice” after a remark that appeared to suggest he would not object to nuclear weapons being used on Gaza. In a recent interview with Radio Kol Berama, Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu said that a nuclear strike would be “one way” to continue military action in the Gaza Strip. He later commented that displaced refugees could “go to Ireland or deserts; the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves,” according to The Times of Israel. Eliyahu, a member of a far-right party in the coalition government, later walked back his remark on the hypothetical nuclear option, saying on social media that it would be “clear to anyone who is sensible” that it had been a “metaphorical” suggestion, Reuters reported. Netanyahu’s office denounced Eliyahu’s rhetoric in a statement, saying they did not reflect reality: “Israel and the IDF are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents,” his office said. “We will continue to do so until our victory.”
