Israel’s Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu spoke Thursday on Kol Berama radio, addressing Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip.

He defended the government’s approach, insisting it targets only those who pose a threat to Israeli lives. “We’re not acting out of racism,” Eliyahu stated. “We are fighting people who want to kill us.”

Eliyahu went further, expressing a radical vision for the future of Gaza. “The government is moving forward to wipe out Gaza,” he said. “Thank God, we’re removing this evil. Eventually, all of Gaza will be Jewish.”

Responding to growing international concern over hunger in the region, Eliyahu dismissed reports of famine as part of a broader effort to pressure Israel.

“This is their campaign,” he claimed. “There are plenty of aid trucks in Gaza. Let the international community take care of them.”

Drawing a striking historical comparison, Eliyahu said, “The British didn’t feed the Nazis during World War II. That’s how a country defends itself. We are not responsible for feeding Gaza.”

A number of government ministers have urged Israel to take control of Gaza after the war, notably Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Last November, during a Religious Zionist Party meeting, he declared, “It’s time to take control of Gaza and strip Hamas of its civilian authority, cutting off its lifeline,” he stated.

Smotrich pointed out the fall of Assad’s regime to rebel forces as inspiration to take swift and decisive action against Hamas.

“We’ve seen in Syria how regime leaders scatter like rats once they realize they’ve lost control. The same can happen in Gaza. We’re close—we’ve already made substantial progress. We need to take the next step to achieve a decisive and clear victory,” Smotrich said.

He also condemned partial hostage deals that only release a few at a time rather than all of the captives at once.

Instead of negotiating partial deals that leave hostages behind, undermine the progress we’ve made in the war, and reduce our chances of victory, we must push forward. We must stop fearing the unknown and do what is necessary,” he said.

Image - Yonatan Sindel/Flash90