Tel Aviv, November 5 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliashu from participating in government meetings after he referred to nuclear bombing as “one of the possibilities” in the development of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, according to Kan radio station. Eliashu will not attend meetings until further notice, as reported by the radio station. The minister made the remarks in an interview with Kol Berama radio station, where he also expressed opposition to allowing any humanitarian aid into the enclave. According to him, Israel will not “provide humanitarian aid to Nazis,” and there is no such concept as “non-combatant civilians” in Gaza. Following this, opposition leader Yair Lapid called on the prime minister to dismiss Eliashu immediately. Other Israeli politicians, including Defense Minister Yoav Galant, criticized the heritage minister’s statement. “I condemn the baseless and irresponsible words of Minister Amichai Eliashu. It is good that such people are not among those responsible for Israel’s security,” he wrote on social media X. Eliashu is a member of the nationalist Zionist party “Otzma Yehudit” (“Strong Israel”), led by Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for his controversial anti-Palestinian remarks. The party’s ideology denies the possibility of creating a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is related to territorial interests and has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. The UN decided to create two states – Israel and Palestine – in 1947, with active involvement from the USSR, but only the Israeli state was established. The new wave of confrontation began after Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on the morning of October 7. After the massive shelling, Hamas fighters infiltrated the border areas in the south of the Jewish state, firing at both military and civilian targets and taking hostages. The military wing of the movement, “Al-Qassam Brigades,” announced the launch of the “Al-Aqsa Deluge” operation. In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched the “Iron Swords” operation in the Gaza Strip. In the following days, Israeli forces gained control of all the border settlements and began launching airstrikes on various targets, including civilian ones, within the enclave. In addition, Israel declared a complete blockade of Gaza, suspending the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel. The number of casualties in the Gaza Strip has exceeded nine thousand people, with 32 thousand injured. Over 1.4 thousand people have been killed in Israel, including 20 Russians. Moreover, according to various estimates, about 200-250 people may be held captive by Hamas. Moscow has called on both sides to cease hostilities. According to President Vladimir Putin, the Middle East crisis can only be resolved based on the UN Security Council-approved two-state formula, which entails the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
