Lapid says young Israelis backed killing 'everyone' in Gaza

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Friday recounted a disturbing encounter with young Israelis who endorsed killing all Palestinians in Gaza, including babies, telling him that infants would eventually grow up to become terrorists, according to excerpts from a podcast interview that circulated widely on social media.

Youth encounter

Speaking in the interview, Lapid described the exchange as painful and deeply troubling. "I had a painful meeting with a group of very young people, and I heard from them all those statements calling for killing everyone and claiming that there are no innocents," he said. When asked "Even babies?", he said the group replied: "Babies too, because eventually they will grow up and become terrorists."

Ministerial criticism

Lapid also criticized remarks by government ministers, warning that Israel "will not recover" from allowing officials to remain in office after calling for extreme measures against Gaza. He singled out Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who called in November 2023 for using a nuclear weapon against the territory, and condemned statements by officials concerning starvation of civilians.

Diplomatic stance

The opposition leader addressed the government's policy toward countries that criticize Israel, arguing that cutting diplomatic ties does not serve national interests. "Anti-Israel rhetoric in Ireland and Spain was unacceptable, but questioned the usefulness of closing Israel's embassy in Dublin or recalling its ambassador from Madrid," Lapid said, adding that he would prefer to engage with critics through media appearances rather than boycott them. Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israeli forces have carried out a genocide in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000 others, most of them women and children, according to local health authorities.