Aharon Haliva, the former head of Israeli army intelligence, said killing 50 Palestinians for every dead Israeli was “necessary” to send a message to future generations, according to local media.
In a series of chilling leaked recordings, the commander, who resigned last year in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks, suggests that killing thousands of Palestinians, including children, was legitimate.
“For everything that happened on October 7, for every person who was killed on October 7, 50 Palestinians must die,” he said in the recordings, aired by Channel 12 and later published by other outlets. “I’m not speaking out of revenge; I’m speaking out of a message to future generations,” he added. “They need a Nakba every now and then to feel the price ... It doesn’t matter now if they are children."
Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in the October 7 attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Since then, Israel has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli army, under orders from the extremist-led government of Benjamin Netanyahu, has been starving Gaza’s population of more than two million since the attacks. Large parts of the besieged coastal enclave have been destroyed.
Last week, leaders of European Union institutions received a stark warning from their own staff that starvation in Gaza is set to exponentially increase without immediate action to press Israel to allow massive amounts of aid into the enclave.
The letter, signed by around 1,600 EU staff, uses simplified modelling methods to highlight that Gaza is on course to surpass 100 starvation-related deaths per day. Initially sent two weeks ago and now obtained by The National, it echoes warnings made by international humanitarian organisations.
No agreement
Gaza has been under a strict Israeli blockade for nearly two decades, with Israel controlling its imports and exports and imposing humiliating restrictions on movement.
It is not known exactly when the recordings were made. They latest in a series of public Israeli calls for the killing of Palestinians through war and famine. One official previously suggested striking Gaza with nuclear weapons.
Mr Haliva appeared to confirm the recordings' authenticity when he told Channel 12 that the comments were made in a “closed forum”, adding: “I can only regret that.”
Human rights organisations and Arab and Western officials have for months accused Israel of committing war crimes and have demanded investigations into its acts of “ethnic cleansing” and “genocidal war”.
Earlier this month, Arab nations heavily criticised Israel's new plan to take control of much of Gaza, describing it as a "new stage of genocide", in some of the strongest comments made in the UN chamber.
Kuwait’s UN representative Tareq Al Banai, delivering the statement of the Gulf Co-operation Council countries, said that the new military operation “lays the groundwork for a new stage of genocide and forced discipline and undermines any chance of achieving a two-state solution”.
Algeria called Israel the “enemy of humanity” and urged the UN to impose sanctions on it.
The comments came during a special session of the UN Security Council called by the UK, France and Denmark. It was in response to the Israeli Cabinet approving new military operations in Gaza that include the takeover of Gaza city.
In other parts of the recordings, the former intelligence chief warned that the October 7 attacks could happen again, and claimed the Israeli government would prefer Hamas to take over not only Gaza, but also the occupied West Bank.
“Why? Because if the entire Palestinian arena is destabilised and crazy, it is impossible to negotiate with,” he said. “Then there will be no agreement on a Palestinian state or for peace.”
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
'I Want You Back'
Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
Rating:4/5
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
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Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
