Netanyahu warns ministers to watch their words after remarks on ‘new Nakba’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned his Cabinet ministers on Sunday to "be careful with their words" when they talk about the war with Hamas.

Speaking to Israel's Channel 12 news outlet on Saturday, Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter described the forced exile of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip as the "Gaza Nakba of 2023."

Dichter, a member of the right-wing Likud party, was referring to the ongoing displacement of large numbers of Palestinians from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip.

Asked about comparing the situation in Gaza to the original Nakba, Dichter replied: "Gaza Nakba 2023. That's how it'll end."

The 'Nakba' refers to the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948 to make way for new state of Israel.

It was not the first time that Netanyahu has warned ministers of his government over their statements to the media since the start of the war on Gaza.

Last week, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu was widely criticized after saying that dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip is "an option."

Netanyahu criticized the remarks and suspended the minister from Cabinet meetings, while opposition leader Yair Lapid called for Eliyahu's dismissal, saying he "harmed our (country's) international standing."

For more than a month, the Israeli army has been attacking all parts of the Gaza Strip, while its ground operation has focused on isolating its northern part and establishing a heavy military presence.

Israel has been carrying out relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip -- including on hospitals, residences and houses of worship -- since the Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched a cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

Since then, the number of deaths from the ongoing Israeli attacks has surpassed 11,100, including more than 8,000 children and women, the government media office in Gaza said on Sunday.

The Israeli death toll is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.