Israeli minister faces backlash over comments about nuclear bombing of Gaza Strip

According to the Times of Israel on November 5, when asked in an interview with Kol Berama radio whether an atomic bomb should be dropped on the area, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said: "This is one of the possibilities."

Mr Eliyahu, from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, is not in Israel's security cabinet, nor does he have control over the war cabinet that directs the fight against the Islamist group Hamas.

Eliyahu had previously opposed sending humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying there were no unrelated civilians in Gaza.

His views are in favor of retaking the Gaza Strip and restoring settlements there. When asked about the fate of the Palestinian people, he said: “They can go to Ireland or the desert.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly dismissed Eliyahu’s comments about nuclear bombs, saying in a statement: “Amichai Eliyahu’s words are far from reality. Israel and its military are acting in accordance with the highest standards of international law to prevent harm to innocent people, and we will continue to do so until we win.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticised Mr Eliyahu’s comments, calling them “horrific and insane comments by an irresponsible minister”. “He insulted the families of the 241 detainees in Gaza, insulted Israeli society and damaged our international standing. The presence of extremists in the government endangers us. Netanyahu must fire him this morning,” Mr Lapid said.

After facing heavy criticism, Heritage Minister Eliyahu sought to walk back the remarks. “Anyone with a brain can clearly see that the comment about the atomic bomb was just a metaphor,” he wrote on social media X. “We really have to show a strong reaction… At the same time, it is clear that the State of Israel has an obligation to do everything possible to bring back the captives alive and well.”

Meanwhile, Israel continues its ground and air campaign in the Gaza Strip. According to Reuters, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that 51 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and dozens injured when Israel launched an airstrike on the Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on the evening of November 4.

A spokesman for the Health Authority of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip confirmed that 30 people were killed in the Israeli attack on the Maghazi camp. The victims were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Many of the injured were also waiting in the hospital's emergency room. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the incident.

Maghazi camp is located in the Deir al-Balah area, in the central Gaza Strip. Previously, on October 31, the Israeli army also confirmed that it had airstrikes on Jabalia camp - the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip - and killed Ibrahim Biari, a key commander of the Hamas Islamic Movement who participated in the attack on Israeli territory on October 7. On November 1, Israel continued to airstrikes this refugee camp for the second time and killed another Hamas commander.

Palestinian health officials said on November 4 that the death toll from Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip has reached 9,488 and 23,000 have been injured. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities said that more than 1,400 people in the country have been killed since the conflict broke out last month.