Israeli Officials and Soldiers: What They Said. What They Did. On Camera.
This page documents verified quotes, video evidence, speeches, interviews, and social media posts by Israeli government ministers, military commanders, Knesset members, and soldiers — in their own words. Every entry is sourced to mainstream news outlets, human rights organizations, or official records. These statements have been cited in the International Court of Justice genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel.
Legal context: Law for Palestine has compiled over 500 documented instances of incitement to genocide by Israeli officials — in social media posts, television interviews, and official statements. Amnesty International reviewed 102 statements by Israeli officials between October 2023 and June 2024 and identified 22 made by senior officials in charge of the Gaza offensive that appeared to directly call for or justify genocidal acts. These statements are cited in the ICJ genocide case (South Africa v. Israel) as direct evidence of genocidal intent.
Prime Minister of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu
In an official televised address, Netanyahu stated: “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. We remember, and we are fighting.”
In the Bible (1 Samuel 15:3), God commands King Saul to destroy Amalek utterly: “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” Biblical scholars and genocide scholars identified this reference immediately as an invocation of total extermination. This statement was submitted as evidence of genocidal intent in the ICJ case.
The Guardian — Netanyahu cited biblical Amalek in call to troops →
“Gaza is the city of evil, we will turn all the places in which Hamas deploys and hides into ruins. I am telling the people of Gaza — get out of there now. We will act everywhere and with full power.”
This statement was made while Israel simultaneously closed all crossings out of Gaza, making escape impossible. Ordering civilians to leave while blocking all exits is itself a documented war crime.
Netanyahu publicly declared he had blocked U.S. efforts to create a Palestinian state, stating he told American officials he opposed Palestinian statehood “under any situation.” He later shared a map of Israel that included the entirety of the West Bank and Gaza with no Palestinian territory marked.
Truthout — Netanyahu says Israel’s goal is to wipe out all possibility of Palestinian state →
The full video of Netanyahu’s address invoking the Amalek biblical extermination command is available and has been widely reported. Watch and share it directly.
Defence Minister of Israel
Yoav Gallant
In an official press statement announcing a total siege of Gaza, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared: “We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly. We will eliminate everything — they will regret it.”
In the same statement, Gallant announced: “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.” Depriving a civilian population of food, water, electricity, and fuel is collective punishment — a war crime under international law. Gallant announced it openly, on camera, while calling Palestinians “human animals.”
This statement was played at the ICJ genocide hearings as direct evidence of dehumanization preceding genocide.
The Guardian — Israeli Defense Minister orders complete siege →
Watch Gallant’s “human animals” statement — search YouTube →
Gallant boasted: “We will end things inside Gaza. I have removed ALL restraints.” This public statement, made by the Defence Minister, authorized unlimited force against Gaza’s civilian population — and was followed by the deadliest campaign against Palestinians in history.
The New Arab — Erase Gaza: How genocidal rhetoric is normalised in Israel →
National Security Minister of Israel
Itamar Ben Gvir
Ben Gvir has repeatedly and publicly called for the ethnic cleansing of all Palestinians from Gaza, describing it as a “voluntary migration plan” — a phrase Israeli officials use to mean forced expulsion. He stated Israel’s plan is to “occupy Gaza and stay there.”
Ben Gvir is a convicted supporter of the terrorist Kach movement, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and Israel itself. He is a Cabinet minister with authority over Israeli police forces and settlement policy.
Truthout — Ben Gvir on “voluntary migration” ethnic cleansing →
After meeting with senior Republican Party officials at Mar-a-Lago, Ben Gvir wrote publicly: “They expressed support for my very clear position on how to act in Gaza — that the food and aid depots should be bombed in order to create military and political pressure.” A sitting Cabinet minister publicly calling for bombing food aid to a starving civilian population.
Yahoo News — Ben Gvir calls to bomb Gaza humanitarian aid stations →
Ben Gvir has made his positions explicitly clear in dozens of on-camera interviews. His statements on Palestinian expulsion, settlement expansion, and the use of force are documented across major international outlets.
Finance Minister of Israel
Bezalel Smotrich
At a podium bearing a map of “Greater Israel” that included Jordan, Smotrich declared: “There is no such thing as the Palestinian people.” He made this statement in Paris, standing in front of a map showing Israeli annexation of all Palestinian territories and parts of neighboring Arab countries. He is the Finance Minister of Israel — not a fringe figure.
The Guardian — Smotrich in Paris: “No such thing as a Palestinian people” →
After a shooting attack in the West Bank, Smotrich stated: “Funduq, Nablus and Jenin need to look like Jabalia” — explicitly calling for the West Bank to be reduced to the same state as northern Gaza, which Israel had levelled to rubble and cut off from all humanitarian aid. Jabalia is a place where the UN has confirmed famine and mass civilian death.
Al Jazeera — Smotrich calls for West Bank to “look like Jabalia” →
Smotrich publicly called for Gaza to be “completely destroyed” and stated that Palestinians should be concentrated in a “humanitarian zone” before being expelled to other countries. This is the definition of ethnic cleansing. He stated it openly as a government policy goal.
Yahoo News — Smotrich calls for Gaza “completely destroyed” →
Knesset Members and Senior Officials
More Israeli Officials — In Their Own Words
Israeli President Isaac Herzog — the supposed “moderate” face of Israel — stated on October 14, 2023: “There are no innocent civilians in Gaza.” The official Israeli government Twitter account later posted a video repeating this claim. The post was documented by NBC News before it was removed.
NBC News — Israeli government posts video saying “there are no innocent civilians” in Gaza →
The Deputy Speaker of Israel’s parliament posted publicly: “Erase Gaza from the face of the earth. Let the Gazan monsters rush to the southern border and flee into Egypt, or die. And let them die badly. Gaza should be wiped off the map.”
He also posted: “Erase Gaza. Nothing else will satisfy us. Don’t leave a single person there — expel everyone.”
The New Arab — Full documentation of Israeli officials’ genocidal rhetoric →
The commander responsible for coordinating civilian affairs in occupied Palestinian territories stated on camera: “Human animals are dealt with accordingly. Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza — no electricity, no water, just damage. You wanted hell, you will get hell.”
This was not a moment of anger. It was a prepared statement delivered directly to Palestinians in a video address.
The New Arab — Ghassan Alian “human animals” statement documented →
Likud Knesset member Galit Distel-Atbaryan wrote publicly: “Erase Gaza from the face of the earth. Let the Gazan monsters rush to the southern border and flee into Egypt, or die. And let them die badly. Gaza should be wiped off the map, and fire and brimstone on the heads of the Nazis in Judea and Samaria. We need a cruel, vengeful IDF. Anything less is immoral.”
Wikipedia — Full list of Israeli officials’ statements cited as genocidal →
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, asked about Palestinian civilian casualties in a live television interview, replied: “Are you seriously asking me about Palestinian civilians? What is wrong with you? We’re fighting Nazis.”
This interview — in which Bennett aggressively deflects any question about Palestinian civilian deaths — was broadcast internationally and is widely available online.
In statements published in August 2025, Aharon Haliva, the former head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate, said that 50 Palestinians should be killed for every Israeli killed on October 7, “regardless of whether they are children or women,” and called the killing of 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza “necessary and required so that future generations will say to them: you humiliated us and killed us, but that was the price.”
Israeli Soldiers — Documented on Social Media
IDF Soldiers Celebrating War Crimes — On Their Own Accounts
This is unprecedented in modern warfare: Gaza’s genocide may be the first in history where the perpetrators documented, posted, shared, and celebrated their crimes on social media in real time. Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab verified videos posted by Israeli soldiers on social media between October 2023 and May 2024. The Washington Post verified over 120 photos and videos posted by IDF soldiers celebrating destruction in Gaza.
A soldier filmed himself driving a bulldozer through a street in Beit Lahia, pushing a battered car toward a half-collapsed building. He posted it on TikTok with a military anthem. The caption read: “I stopped counting how many neighborhoods I’ve erased.” The video was verified by the New York Times.
Arab News — New York Times investigation into IDF soldiers’ videos →
A soldier filmed himself destroying occupied Palestinian houses in Rafah and posted the footage on his Instagram with the caption: “Renovations in Gaza.” Another was filmed shooting indiscriminately at Palestinian homes while smoking a cigarette. These were not leaked — they were proudly posted by the soldiers themselves.
Multiple IDF soldiers posted photos of themselves posing mockingly with Palestinian women’s underwear taken from destroyed homes. Others posted videos playing with Palestinian children’s toys and bicycles taken from rubble. Truthout documents this in full, including soldiers sharing footage of themselves desecrating mosques and the Quran.
Anadolu Agency — Soldiers’ videos documenting war crimes in Gaza →
Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab verified videos in which Israeli soldiers are seen posing for pictures or toasting in celebration as buildings are demolished in the background. One video shows Engineering Battalion 749 celebrating the demolition of approximately 30 homes in the Shuja’iya neighbourhood. The soldiers shared these videos themselves.
Amnesty International — Israeli military must be investigated for war crime of wanton destruction →
In December 2023, two soldiers were filmed in front of a truck in Shuja’iya, telling the camera they were “lighting the second candle of Hanukkah” before setting fire to a truck containing food. One soldier described it as a “sweets factory.” The IDF said it would investigate but no accountability followed. Children in Gaza were starving at the time.
A soldier filmed himself walking triumphantly through the ruins of a destroyed Gaza neighbourhood in June 2024, stating: “We were asked to clear the area. Blow it all up. What can I do, I’m an obedient soldier. Tomorrow there won’t be anything here.”
Truthout — Full documentation of soldiers’ social media posts →
Washington Post — A year of Israeli soldiers’ videos from Gaza →
Video Resources
Where to Watch, Verify, and Share
Share this page. These are not rumors, propaganda, or contested claims. These are the words of sitting Israeli government ministers, military commanders, and soldiers — verified by the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Amnesty International, and the International Court of Justice. The world needs to see them.
If a leader of any other country said these things about any other people, the international response would be immediate and total. The Palestinian people deserve the same protection and the same outrage.