Israeli minister claims ‘all of Gaza will be Jewish’
(MENAFN) Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has drawn widespread condemnation after declaring that Israel should not concern itself with hunger in Gaza and suggesting the entire territory should become Jewish.
In an interview with Radio Kol Barama on Thursday, Eliyahu, a member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, dismissed growing UN warnings about a man-made famine in Gaza. He stated that Israel is “racing toward erasing Gaza” and added, “Thank God we are erasing this evil. All of Gaza will be Jewish.”
He further argued that feeding Gaza’s population was not Israel’s responsibility. “We shouldn’t be dealing with hunger in Gaza – let the world take care of them. No nation feeds its enemies. Have we lost our minds?” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly distanced his government from the remarks, emphasizing that Eliyahu is not part of the Security Cabinet, which oversees war policy. “His statements do not reflect the government’s stance,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, also criticized Eliyahu, calling the comments “wrong, foolish, and totally unrepresentative” of Israel’s government and its people. He reaffirmed that Israel is working to establish a humanitarian aid mechanism for Gaza’s civilians—excluding Hamas.
According to Gaza health officials, more than 59,000 Palestinians have died since the conflict escalated in October 2023, including at least 113 from starvation. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned this week that Gaza is nearing “mass starvation” due to Israel’s blockade.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini urged Israel to grant access for over 6,000 aid trucks currently waiting in Egypt and Jordan.
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