Ahead of Hague hearing, Likud MK doubles down on call to ‘burn Gaza’

A far-right Likud MK who also serves as deputy speaker of the Knesset reiterates his call for burning down Gaza a day before Israel faces a hearing in the Hague on accusations it is committing genocide in Gaza.

Speaking to Hakol Baramah radio, MK Nissim Vaturi says he has no regrets about his November tweet to “Burn Gaza now,” which sparked widespread condemnation and got him temporarily banned from Facebook.

“I stand behind my words,” he says. “It is better to burn down buildings rather than have soldiers harmed. There are no innocents there.”

Vaturi says that the IDF managed to evacuate innocent civilians from northern Gaza.

“One hundred thousand remain. I have no mercy for those who are still there. We need to eliminate them,” he says.

Among the issues cited by South Africa in its case against Israel was that it was not not acting to punish those inciting genocide, including a long list of statements from senior Israeli officials — including Vaturi — that it claimed were evidence that Jerusalem intends to carry out genocide in Gaza.