Jerusalem: Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu late on Monday called for the bombing of Gaza food warehouses and for starving Palestinians in Gaza, in the latest Israeli inflammatory statements against Gaza which endures ongoing Israeli genocide. "There is no problem in bombing Hamas' food reserves," the extremist minister told the Israeli Channel 7 during an interview. "They need to starve. If there are civilians who fear for their lives, they should go through the emigration plan," he also said.
According to Anadolu Agency, Eliyahu further emphasized that making life difficult for civilians would also impact Hamas. He stated, "The moment it becomes hard for them, it will also be hard for Hamas. There is no problem bombing Hamas's fuel and food reserves." Eliyahu, a member of the extremist Jewish Strength (Otzma Yehudit) party led by hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, argued that providing aid to Gaza contradicts "Jewish ethics," asserting that they must not "feed those who fight us."
In November 2023, Eliyahu, known for his extremist rhetoric against Palestinians, suggested that dropping a 'nuclear bomb' on the Gaza Strip is 'an option.' On Monday, Ben-Gvir reiterated his stance on starving Palestinians in Gaza as part of the ongoing genocidal war.
According to Israel's Channel 14, Ben-Gvir stated that 'the only aid that should enter Gaza is for the purpose of voluntary migration,' highlighting a deportation agenda aimed at removing the indigenous population under the guise of the genocidal war. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has proposed 'taking over' Gaza and resettling its population to transform it into a tourist destination, a plan widely rejected by the Arab world and many other nations due to its implications of ethnic cleansing.
Israeli estimates suggest that 59 captives remain in Gaza, with 24 believed to be alive. In stark contrast, more than 9,500 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel under harsh conditions, with reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect from Palestinian and Israeli rights organizations.
Since October 2023, a brutal Israeli onslaught has resulted in the deaths of more than 52,500 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.