Israeli minister swiftly punished after suggesting dropping a nuke on Gaza

• An Israeli minister suggested that a nuclear weapon could be dropped on Gaza.
• Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly distanced himself from the remark by Amichai Eliyahu, a heritage minister.

An Israeli minister on Sunday suggested dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza, and was swiftly suspended from part of his role.

Amichai Eliyahu, Israel's heritage minister, made the remark in a radio interview, in which he also said he believed "there are no non-combatants in Gaza," Israel's Haaretz news site reported.

Eliyahu is part of Israel's far-right Otzma Yehudit party, itself part of the fragile coalition forming Israel's government as it wages war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

When asked by the interview whether a nuclear weapon could be used on Gaza, Eliyahu responded: "That's one way."

Eliyahu also advocated for Israel taking control of the strip's territory and expelling Palestinians, who he suggested could go "to Ireland or deserts," per The Times of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded within a few hours. His office released a statement that Eliyahu's nuclear weapon comment was "not based in reality."

It said Israel's military was operating in "accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents" — a claim heavily disputed by observers and advocates in Gaza.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also criticized Eliyahu's comments, and noted that Eliyahu was not directly involved in carrying out the war.

"It's a good thing that people like this are not in charge of Israel's security," Gallant said.

Netanyahu suspended Eliyahu from Cabinet meetings until further notice, the Associated Press reported. The outlet noted that the move had "no practical effect."

Eliyahu later tried to walk back his comments, AP reported, saying: "Anyone reasonable would understand that the comment was metaphorical. But we definitely need to respond powerfully and disproportionately to terrorism."

Following the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed some 1,400 people, Israel has been bombarding Gaza with air strikes and executing a ground invasion.

Some 9,000 people have been killed in Gaza, its authorities said, many of them children.