Saudi Arabia condemns remarks from Israeli politician calls nuking Gaza an option

Adam Schrader
·2 min read
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Palestinian women line up to buy fresh bread next to destroyed buildings at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI
Palestinian women line up to buy fresh bread next to destroyed buildings at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI

Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned remarks from an Israeli politician who called dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza "one of the possibilities" in handling the conflict.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns in the strongest terms the extremist statements issued by a minister in the Israeli occupation government regarding dropping a nuclear bomb on the besieged Gaza Strip, which shows the penetration of extremism and brutality among members of the Israeli government," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

The kingdom's remarks responded to comments from Amichay Eliyahu, Israel's heritage minister and member of the extremist Otzma Yehudit political party.

Eliyahu had made his remarks in an interview with Radio Kol Berama as he expressed disappointment with the Israeli Defense Forces, which he said had not been aggressive enough with its response to the October 7 strike by Hamas militants against Israel.

The controversial politician later tried to walk back his remarks as "metaphorical."

A Palestinian girl lined up to buy fresh bread next to destroyed buildings at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI
A Palestinian girl lined up to buy fresh bread next to destroyed buildings at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI

"It is clear to anyone with a mind that the statement about an atom [bomb] is metaphorical," he said on Twitter. "But we definitely need a powerful and disproportionate response to terrorism, which will make it clear to the Nazis and their supporters that terrorism is not worthwhile."

Eliyahu has also voiced objections to providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians and believes Gaza has no right to exist, with anyone seen waving a Palestinian flag deserving of death.