'Proud of ruins of Gaza': Israeli minister rejoices at Palestine's distress

In a shocking display of schadenfreude, May Golan, Israel's Minister for the Advancement of Women, has expressed pride in the "ruins" of besieged Gaza and claimed every Palestinian baby will tell their grandchildren "what the Jews did."

"I am proud of the ruins of Gaza," she callously declared in a speech rife with hostility on Wednesday.

With a chilling disregard for the people of Gaza, she went on to state, "I don't care about Gaza, I literally don't care. For all I care, they can go out and just swim in the sea."

The minister’s shocking comments didn't stop there.

She expressed a disturbing desire to witness the destruction of Gaza, proudly proclaiming, "I am personally proud of the ruins of Gaza, and that every baby, even 80 years from now, will tell their grandchildren what the Jews did."

Throughout her speech, which the minister later shared on her social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, her sole focus remained squarely on the obliteration of Gaza.

This isn't the first time Golan has courted controversy.

She has a history of making racially charged and Islamophobic remarks, particularly targeting African refugees in Israel.

Dubbing them "Muslim infiltrators," Golan has promoted dangerous stereotypes, including baseless claims about the spread of diseases.

Genocidal rhetoric

The appointment of Golan by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year – first as the Israeli consul general in New York – and subsequently as Israel’s Minister for Women's Advancement, drew swift condemnation from former Israeli diplomats, who denounced her as a polarising figure unfit for such a crucial role.

Golan’s latest outburst gives credence to the report late last year by the Europe-based Law for Palestine that documented hundreds of instances where Israeli politicians, army personnel, and media figures incited violence and promoted genocidal rhetoric.

In a widely discussed televised address, Netanyahu said on October 13, "Gaza is the city of evil…I am telling the people of Gaza — get out of there now. We will act everywhere and with full power.” "You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible," he said on October 28.

Netanyahu continued: "We remember, and we are fighting … our soldiers are part of a legacy of Jewish warriors that goes back 3,000 years."

Extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also have been continuously calling for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, the reoccupation of the enclave, and the construction of illegal Jewish settlements there.

Israel's war on Gaza — now in its 139th day — has killed at least 29,313 Palestinians and wounded 69,333 others.

Netanyahu has vowed to continue the invasion and send troops inside Rafah town on the Egyptian border, where over half of Gaza's 2.3 million people have sought refuge from Israeli invasion elsewhere.