“Minister Amihai Eliyahu’s statements do not correspond to reality. Israel and the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] are operating according to the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocent people. We will continue to do so until our victory,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a message posted on the X network (formerly Twitter).
Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, also said today through the same social network that he had spoken with Eliyahu and that he assured him that “his words were spoken in a metaphorical way.”
“It is clear to all of us that the Hamas organization must be destroyed and erased and of course we will do everything possible to return the kidnapped people to their homes,” Ben Gvir wrote on the X network.
The cascade of reactions was not long in coming, with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid calling for Eliyahu’s resignation, saying that with his words he “harmed the families of those who are kidnapped”, as well as “civil society” and the “international status of Israel”.
Shortly after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had “indefinitely” suspended Eliyahu from upcoming meetings within the government, although he will remain in office, according to The Times of Israel.
Eliyahu, who is not a member of the emergency cabinet set up to make decisions regarding military operations in the Gaza Strip, made the remarks in an interview with Orthodox radio station Kol Berama.
A couple of days ago, Eliyahu had also been at the center of a controversy following a comment he posted on Facebook where he described the Israeli bombardments in Gaza and military operations in the West Bank as “a treat for the eyes”.
Source: Angola24Horas