Netanyahu Faces Accusations of Genocidal Intent Over Biblical Reference

The biblical passage in 1 Samuel 15:3 commands the total destruction of the Amalekites, including women, children, and livestock. British religious scholar Hamza Andreas Tzortzis and historian Juan Cole are among those arguing that Netanyahu’s use of this rhetoric serves as a justification for the annihilation of Gaza’s civilian population. This language fits into a broader pattern of rhetoric from Israeli officials; President Isaac Herzog has stated there are no innocent civilians in the territory, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to eliminate everything in his path.

This discourse is not isolated. Likud lawmaker Ariel Kallner has publicly called for a “Nakba” to overshadow the events of 1948, and Tally Gotliv has demanded the total flattening of Gaza. These statements arrive as the Israel Defense Forces push further into Gaza City. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the military campaign has already resulted in 8,306 deaths, including thousands of children, and the displacement of over 1.4 million people. Legal experts, including Holocaust scholar Raz Segal, have labeled the offensive a textbook case of genocide, noting that the scale of child casualties in the last three weeks alone exceeds the total number of children killed in all global conflict zones since 2019.