Israeli Rabbi Says No Innocent Civilians in Gaza

The funeral prayer for the victims of the latest Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. (Source: WAFA)

JAKARTA - Israeli radical rabbi Dov Lior said there were "no innocent civilians" in Gaza, reiterating his hardline stance on Tel Aviv's genocidal war in a statement made during an interview.

Lior, a Jewish religious figure associated with the far right, argued that in wartime, civil status did not exempt individuals from being considered part of a wider conflict.

"In war, there are no innocent civilians. The concept is a creation of the Left. In World War II, didn't the Allied Forces bomb the civilian population?" he told Israel National News, responding to a question about what the Israeli military should do to avoid killing innocent Arab civilians, reported by Daily Sabah (5/5).

Lior also rejected the idea that Israel should consider international opinion or adopt higher moral limits in warfare.

He also criticized global institutions, particularly the United Nations, accusing them of consistently opposing Israel and questioning why such views should affect military decisions.

Lior claimed the historical hostility towards Jews justified radicalism.

He argued that efforts to gain acceptance from other countries had failed and warned that dependence on international approval could weaken Israel's position.

Lior went on to defend the continuation of the war despite the potential for casualties, saying that while saving lives is usually a priority in religious law, the conditions of war "require a different approach."

Previously, Lior said large-scale destruction in areas such as Gaza could be justified and military responses should not be limited to specific individuals directly involved in attacks.

He also supported the idea that Palestinians living in the occupied areas should be relocated, framing the measures as part of a broader strategy related to territorial claims and security.

He has also drawn attention in the past for supporting religious interpretations that allow the use of force beyond the confines of the conventional battlefield, including views that have been widely debated in Israeli society.

Separately, medical sources in the Gaza Strip announced on Tuesday that the number of deaths as a result of the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip had risen to 72,615 people, while 172,468 others were injured since the start of the attack on October 7, 2023, quoted from WAFA.

The same source revealed that the total number of deaths since the ceasefire on October 11 had risen to 834 people, and the total number of injured people had risen to 2,365 people, while 768 bodies had been found from under the rubble.

He added that a number of victims were still under the rubble and on the streets, because the ambulance and rescue teams had not been able to reach them until now.