Yair Lapid reports extreme rhetoric from young Israelis regarding Gaza

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has expressed shock following a meeting with a group of young Israelis who reportedly advocated for the killing of all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. During a podcast interview, Lapid stated that the youths claimed there are ‘no innocents’ in Gaza and suggested that even infants should be killed because they would eventually grow up to become terrorists.

Lapid criticized the growing dehumanization of Palestinians within parts of Israeli society, warning that the country is adopting norms it claims to oppose. He also directed criticism toward government ministers, specifically mentioning Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who previously suggested the use of nuclear weapons against Gaza. Lapid argued that Israel cannot recover if officials who make such extreme statements are permitted to remain in office.

Additionally, Lapid condemned rhetoric from officials regarding the starvation of Palestinian civilians and questioned the government's diplomatic approach toward countries critical of Israel, such as Ireland and Spain, suggesting that boycotting or closing embassies is not in Israel's best interest.