Israeli minister says dropping nuclear bomb on Gaza 'an option', suspended by Netanyahu
Jerusalem, Nov 5: An Israeli minister from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party on Sunday said that dropping an atomic bomb on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip was "an option", prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suspend him from government meetings indefinitely.
In a radio interview, Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said that "there are no non-combatants in Gaza" and providing humanitarian aid to the Strip would constitute "a failure".
When asked if there are no non-combatants in Gaza in his view then if a nuclear attack on the Gaza Strip is "an option", Eliyahu responded, "That's one way."
His remarks infuriated members of both the ruling coalition and the Opposition, evoking calls to fire him from the government.
Following the uproar, Eliyahu backtracked from his statement, calling it a "metaphorical" remark.
"It's clear to anyone with a brain that the remark about the atom was metaphorical. We indeed must display a forceful and disproportional response to terror, which will clarify to the Nazis and their supporters that terrorism isn't worthwhile. This is the only formula with which democracies can deal with terror," he said.
"Simultaneously, it is clear that the State of Israel is obligated to do everything to return the captives alive and in good health," Eliyahu wrote in a bid to defuse tensions.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu suspended Eliyahu from government meetings indefinitely, the PMO said.
Eliyahu is not a part of the security cabinet involved in the wartime decision-making, nor does he hold sway over the war cabinet directing the war against Islamist Hamas, it said.
Netanyahu called the remark "detached from reality".
"Israel and the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) are acting in accordance with the highest standards of international law in order to prevent harm to uninvolved people, and we will continue to do that all the way to victory," the prime minister said.
Taking to X, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called Eliyahu's statements "baseless" and said that it's "good that these aren't the people in charge of Israel's security".
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid slammed Eliyahu's comments as "a horrifying and insane remark by an irresponsible minister".
"He offended the families of the (241 Gaza) captives, offended Israeli society and harmed our international standing. The presence of the extremists in the government endangers us and the success of the war goals defeating Hamas and returning the hostages. Netanyahu must fire him," he demanded.
Observers opine that Israel is coming under increasing pressure from the international community as the death toll increases in Gaza, and such comments harm its efforts to maintain support for its "right to self-defence".
Israel has launched a massive diplomatic effort to drum up support globally with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen directing the country's missions across the world to screen to lawmakers and social influencers the horrible scenes obtained from Hamas' dastardly acts on October 7.
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Lok Sabha passed 12 bills, Rajya Sabha 14 in Monsoon session amid Opposition protests
New Delhi (PTI): Twelve bills were passed by the Lok Sabha and 14 by the Rajya Sabha during the month-long Monsoon session of Parliament, which has witnessed repeated disruptions, adjournments and walkouts.
Barring discussions on Operation Sindoor in both House, the session has seen little business ever since it began on July 21 due to repeated disruptions and adjournments initially due to opposition demand for discussion on Operation Sindoor and then over demands for a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar.
The Monsoon session is scheduled to end on Thursday.
The bills passed by the Lok Sabha are The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025, The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025, The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Manipur Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025, The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, and The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
Other bills passed by the Lok Sabha are The Income-tax Bill, 2025, The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Indian Ports Bill, 2025, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025.
The bills passed or returned by the Rajya Sabha are The Bills of Lading Bill, 2025, The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025, The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025, The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Manipur Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025, The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025 and The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025
Other bills passed by the Rajya Sabha are The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Income-tax Bill, 2025, The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Indian Ports Bill, 2025, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025 and The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025
"This time in Parliament, there was so much ruckus and opposition didn't cooperate. Due to this obstinate behaviour, opposition missed participating in discussions on several important bills which were passed," a government functionary said.
In the Rajya Sabha, except for The Bills of Lading Bill, 2025, which was passed without any disruption on the first day of the Monsoon session, the other bills were passed after some discussion amid din or only after the Opposition parties staged a walk out, the functionary said.
