A far-right Israeli minister called for the killing of Palestinian children during an interview with Kan Reshet Bet radio station last week.
“We are people who will not harm a fly, but if the fly bothers him, the fly must be killed and also his children if he hides behind them,” said Amihai Eliyahu, the minister of heritage.
השר עמיחי אליהו ל-@RMatsliah ו-@YigalGueta: "אנחנו עם שלא יפגע בזבוב, אבל אם הזבוב יציק לו – צריך להרוג את הזבוב. גם במחיר של פגיעה בילדים שלו אם הוא מתחבא מאחוריהם" pic.twitter.com/wLkASGZ37N
— כאן | רשת ב (@ReshetBet) May 11, 2023
The remarks came during a discussion on the Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip that killed dozens of Palestinian civilians, including women and children.
The latest fighting, the longest bout since a ten-day war in 2021, began when Israel launched a series of air strikes in the early hours of Tuesday, announcing that it was targeting Islamic Jihad commanders who it alleged had planned attacks against the occupation state.
After coming under criticism for calling for children to be targeted and referring to Palestinians as ‘flies’, Eliyahu, who joined Israeli Security Minister Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit Party, wrote on Twitter: “Pity for the families of terrorists is what brought the blood and violence.”
שווה לך לחזור לשיעורי הבנת הנקרא..
ואם הייתה בך מעט בינה היית מבין שהרחמים שלך על משפחות המחבלים הביאו לפה דם ואלימות.למרבה הצער – אם המציאות לא הצליחה לגרום לך לפתוח את העיניים, אין הרבה סיכוי שמשהו אחר יעשה את זה.
שולח לך את תנחומי.
— 🇮🇱עמיחי אליהו – Amichay Eliyahu (@Eliyahu_a) May 12, 2023
Palestinian health officials said 33 people, including women and children as well as Islamic Jihad fighters, were killed in Gaza. In Israel, an Israeli woman and a Palestinian labourer were killed by rockets fired by Gaza.
Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza on Saturday agreed to an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire.
Gaza: Israel confesses to intentionally killing children to pressure resistance