Israeli minister: ‘All of Gaza will be Jewish’ as resettlement plans resurface
Amichai Eliyahu says Gaza is being “erased” and claims Israel should not worry about hunger in the Strip
Israel’s Heritage Minister has sparked outrage by declaring the government is working to “erase” Gaza and resettle it with Jews – prompting fierce condemnation from political rivals and human rights groups.
Speaking in a live radio interview on Thursday morning, Amichai Eliyahu told Kol Barama: “The government is rushing to erase Gaza and thank God we are erasing this evil. All of Gaza will be Jewish.”
Eliyahu added: “We don’t need to be concerned about hunger in the Strip. We have completely lost our minds.”
His comments come amid renewed efforts by far-right Israeli ministers to promote resettlement of Gaza – a move not authorised by the government or supported by the military leadership.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu distanced himself from the remarks, saying Eliyahu “does not speak for the government I lead” and is not a member of the war cabinet.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned Eliyahu’s remarks as “a moral attack and a propaganda disaster,” warning: “Israel will never convince the world of the justice of our war against terror as long as we are led by an extremist minority government with ministers who sanctify blood and death.”
“IDF soldiers do not fight, are killed and injured to wipe out a civilian population,” he added, “They fight to return the kidnapped and ensure Israel’s security.”
Eliyahu’s comments followed a Knesset event earlier this week titled Riviera in Gaza – From Vision to Reality, where Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich discussed plans for a permanent Jewish presence in the Strip.
Smotrich told attendees that Israel’s chief of staff had informed him “the northern border of the Gaza Strip needs to be annexed for security reasons.” He also claimed that the conference had laid out “social, legal, security, and logistical models” for resettlement, though no concrete details were presented publicly.
The event was attended by government ministers, bereaved families, representatives of hostage relatives, military officials, and residents of Gaza-border communities.
Both ministers’ comments drew backlash from across the political spectrum. Labour MK Gilad Kariv accused them of incitement and warned their statements “endanger IDF soldiers and commanders, inflict strategic harm on Israel’s global standing, erode social cohesion within the country, and undermine the values of the IDF and fundamental principles of Israel as both a Jewish and democratic state”.
Kariv added that the views expressed by Eliyahu and Smotrich were “not aligned with any government or Knesset decisions, nor are they part of the war objectives set by the cabinet”.
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