• Israeli officials and public figures openly advocate for the extermination of Palestinians, framing it as a «final solution» to the Gaza crisis.
• Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to displace Palestinians and rebuild Gaza has fueled Israel’s push for ethnic cleansing.
• Israeli leaders and influencers normalize genocidal rhetoric, calling for the annihilation of Gaza’s population, including women and children.
• The failure of Israel’s military campaign to depopulate Gaza has led to calls for mass killing as the only viable option.
In a chilling escalation of rhetoric and policy, Israeli officials and public figures are no longer hiding their calls for the extermination of Palestinians. What was once whispered in Israel’s darkest corners is now shouted from the rooftops, with prominent voices advocating for the complete annihilation of Gaza’s population. This genocidal discourse has been emboldened by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to displace Palestinians and rebuild Gaza, a plan that aligns eerily with Israel’s long-standing goal of ethnic cleansing.
The normalization of such rhetoric marks a dangerous turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. From government ministers to celebrities, the call for mass killing is no longer taboo but rather a rallying cry for a nation steeped in rage and frustration. As the world watches in horror, the question remains: how far will Israel go to achieve its goal of erasing Palestinians from the map?
The normalization of extermination rhetoric
The shift in Israeli discourse is stark. Once confined to the fringes, calls for the extermination of Palestinians have entered the mainstream, with even government officials openly advocating for mass killing. Deputy Parliament Speaker Nissim Vaturi’s statement that “the children and women should be separated and the [male] adults in Gaza should be killed” is just one example of this disturbing trend. While Vaturi may be a marginal figure, his words reflect a broader shift in Israeli society, where the language of genocide is no longer met with shock or condemnation but with nods of approval.
This normalization is not limited to politicians. Prominent Israeli influencers, academics, and celebrities have joined the chorus of annihilation. Attorney Kinneret Barashi, a self-proclaimed former Meretz voter, posted on X that “every trace of the murderous mutations in Gaza should be erased, from the delivery rooms to the last elderly person in Gaza. 100% must die in Gaza.” Actor Yiftach Klein, part of the so-called “Oslo generation,” declared, “I don’t believe them [the Palestinians]. I don’t believe in them and I don’t want to see them again as long as I live, ever. Let them be gone beyond the mountains of darkness and may they die there.”
These statements are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of dehumanization and hatred. The trauma of the October 7 Hamas attack has been weaponized to justify calls for genocide, with Israelis increasingly viewing the complete destruction of Gaza as the only solution to the Palestinian “problem.”
Trump’s Gaza plan: a green light for ethnic cleansing
The recent announcement by Donald Trump to displace Palestinians and rebuild Gaza has only emboldened Israel’s genocidal ambitions. While Trump’s team has attempted to downplay the plan as a “recommendation” rather than a forced evacuation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has embraced it wholeheartedly, praising Trump’s “groundbreaking plan to allow freedom of exit for Gazans.” Defense Minister Israel Katz has gone a step further, setting up an administration for the “voluntary exit” of Palestinians from Gaza.
These plans echo the 2023 proposal by former Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel, which called for the “evacuation of the civilian population from Gaza to Sinai.” While Gamliel’s plan was initially dismissed as fringe, it has since become the de facto policy of the Israeli government. The goal is clear: to depopulate Gaza and erase Palestinian presence from the region. However, as Israeli leaders have come to realize, convincing Palestinians to leave voluntarily is nearly impossible. The failure of Israel’s military campaign to achieve this goal has led to calls for more extreme measures. As one Israeli influencer put it, “If all that destruction and bombing did not convince the Palestinians to leave, the conclusion drawn by more than a few Israelis is that there is no choice but to kill everyone.”
The failure of ethnic cleansing and the rise of extermination
Despite Israel’s best efforts, the ethnic cleansing of Gaza has failed. The destruction of entire neighborhoods, the displacement of hundreds of thousands, and the deaths of over 50,000 Palestinians have not achieved the desired result. Images of Palestinians returning to the ruins of their homes in northern Gaza have only deepened Israeli frustration, leading to calls for even more drastic action.
Israeli officials have begun to speak openly about establishing “secured compounds” in Gaza, where food and water will be distributed only to those who comply with Israeli demands. As former minister Yoaz Hendel wrote, “Everything outside these compounds is a killing zone.” In other words, Palestinians who refuse to enter these concentration camps will be sentenced to death.
This shift from ethnic cleansing to outright extermination reflects a grim reality: Israel’s leaders have run out of options. Having failed to achieve their goals through military force, they are now turning to genocide as the only viable solution.
Sources include: