JERUSALEM — Far-right Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has drawn widespread international and domestic condemnation following controversial statements regarding the Gaza Strip and its civilian population.
During an interview with Israeli radio station 103 FM, Eliyahu—a member of the ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir—argued that standard military targeting was insufficient to break Palestinian morale.
“We need to find out what hurts them, what will overwhelm them, break their spirits,” Eliyahu stated during the broadcast. “We know that death is not what breaks them… We must find ways for Gazans that are more painful than death.”
Elaborating on his comments, Eliyahu asserted that the Israeli military must target Palestinian national aspirations through land annexation, widespread home destruction, and encouraging “voluntary migration” or displacement out of the enclave.
The comments sparked immediate outrage from opposition lawmakers and human rights organizations, who accused the minister of inciting war crimes and violating international legal standards. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid denounced Eliyahu’s rhetoric as “a moral attack and a public relations disaster” that damages Israel’s international standing.
This is not the first time Eliyahu has drawn sharp criticism for extreme statements. In November 2023, he sparked global condemnation after suggesting during a radio appearance that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was “one of the options,” prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to temporarily suspend him from cabinet meetings and publicly disavow the remarks as “detached from reality”.