A former Israeli government official erupted at a presenter for Sky News who asked him about the suffering that civilians in Gaza could face as part of Israel’s response to Hamas’s deadly attack over the weekend.
“Are you seriously — keep asking me about Palestinian civilians? What is wrong with you? Have you not seen what’s happened? We’re fighting Nazis,” said Naftali Bennett, an Israeli politician who previously served as the country’s prime minister.
“We don’t target them,” Bennett said of civilians in Gaza. “If you want to come and bring them electricity, I’m not going to feed electricity to my enemies.”
Sky News presenter Kamali Melbourne interrupted Bennett, telling him, “This is my program and I am asking the questions.”
“Yeah, but this is my country,” Bennett responded, pointing his finger at the camera and talking over Melbourne.
“We’ve already distinguished the difference between Hamas —” Melbourne pressed on.
“Shame on you,” Bennett shot back, accusing the journalist of attempting to “spin a narrative” sympathetic to Palestinians.
Israel has cut off supplies — including food, water, fuel and medicine — to Gaza after Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, killing hundreds and taking what is believed to be dozens of hostages, including some Americans.
Israeli military officials have said a ground counteroffensive against Gaza, one of the most densely populated places in the world, is imminent.