Israel News: 2,500 targets attacked since ground combat began, according to army

The Israeli government leadership clearly distances itself from statements made by a right-wing extremist minister about the actions in the Gaza Strip. Cultural Heritage Minister Amichai Elijahu, when asked during a radio interview whether one Atomic bomb on the Gaza Strip should throw, replied: “That’s one of the options.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then said Elijahu’s comments “no basis in reality”. Israel and the army acted “in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harm to civilians.” This will continue to be done “until our victory” against the Islamist Hamas ruling in the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Joav Galant also condemned Elijahu’s “baseless and irresponsible statements.” Elijahu from the far-right Otzma Jehudit party is neither part of the Israeli security cabinet nor Netanyahu’s war cabinet and is not considered influential.

Elijahu also spoke out against the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip during the interview with Kol Barama radio station. “We wouldn’t give the Nazis any humanitarian aid either”, he said. There are no innocent civilians in the coastal strip; the population supports Hamas. He spoke out in favor of recapturing the area evacuated in 2005 and the return of Israeli settlements. When asked about the fate of the Palestinian population, he said: “You can go to Ireland or the desert, the monsters from Gaza should find a solution themselves.”