After controversy, Yair Golan says ‘of course Israel doesn’t’ kill Gaza babies as a hobby

Democrats party chairman Yair Golan has further walked back comments in which he appeared to accuse Israel of killing babies in Gaza “as a hobby,” saying he did not, in fact, believe Israel had done so, but rather was expressing his fear that extremist politicians in the government sought to.

During a Channel 12 interview, Golan was asked whether he believed Israel has killed any babies in Gaza for sport, and replied, “Of course not.”

“I wasn’t speaking about the military at all. I didn’t say that,” Golan said.

He held up a paper with quotes by far-right ministers and politicians who had called at various points to “destroy” and “erase” Gaza.

“I said something simple: that it’s unacceptable that we’re resuming fighting in Gaza, and that the political goals set for the IDF, which unfortunately are not goals connected to Israel’s national security at all… are shaped by people with such a worldview.”

In the Tuesday interview that caused a political firestorm, the retired general told Kan that “Israel is on the way to becoming a pariah state, like South Africa was, if we don’t return to acting like a sane country. A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations.”

During his Channel 12 interview, Golan was asked about comments he himself made in October 2023, days after the October 7 attack, when he suggested that all aid to Gaza must be cut off. “We need to tell them, listen, until these [hostages] are released, as far as we care you can starve to death — it’s completely legitimate,” Golan said then.

Confronted with that quote, Golan asserted on Saturday he had not called to starve Gazans but rather to pressure Hamas.

“What may have been the right move on October 13th… as an opening act for war, is not the right move after 20 months of fighting,” he said.