Ahead of ICJ genocide case, Likud MK doubles down on call to burn Gaza to the ground

Likud MK Nissim Vaturi doubled down on comments from late November, in which he said that "Gaza must be burned," in an interview with Kol BaRama radio on Wednesday morning.

Asked about the storm caused by his previous comments in late November, the Likud member refused to retract his original statement, saying, "Hamas came and burned us, our children, in the Gaza border.

"Not that I am comparing us to them, but when the people want to stand up and protect their children from such horrible acts of the Holocaust, you come and enter with all your might, and that's what we did.

"I said 'burn Gaza,' burn, what do you mean? Go in and tear them apart. There is not even a thought here, there is no consideration. That IDF soldiers will not think for one second and get hurt because we have to be humane," he added. 

"When the people want to stand up and protect their children from such horrible acts of the Holocaust, you come and enter with all our might, and that's what we did."

MK Nissim Vaturi

Vaturi regarding northern Gaza

Vaturi also referred to Israel's action in the northern Gaza Strip, saying, "We've evacuated everyone, we managed to do an orderly evacuation of 1,900,000, and 100,000 remained. I don't think there are any innocent people there now, not now, and not when I said these things.

"We also saw a disabled person with crutches who came in and robbed, kidnapped, and beat Jews; there were many involved. I have no pity for such people, certainly not in war when soldiers fall to protect our homeland. It is impossible for us to be nice at home and say, 'Oh, there are innocent people there.'"

If there is an innocent person there, we will know about them. Whoever stays there should be eliminated, period. I don't even have a doubt. We are grateful that we have the privilege of being prosecuted in The Hague for statements while Hamas is murdering children and women, and we are only looking to defend ourselves as a nation," he said.