ANKARA 

Gaza’s local authorities on Tuesday called Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan’s comments that his country kills children as “a hobby” an admission of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinians in the enclave.

Golan's statements “represent a clear admission of the ongoing genocide against our Palestinian people," Gaza’s government media office said in a statement.

Golan “explicitly admitted that the Israeli army is waging a war against civilians, that it kills children as a hobby, and that its primary goal is to displace the population.”

The head of the opposition Democrats Party said early Tuesday that Israel is becoming a pariah state that kills children "as a hobby."

“A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill children as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations,” Golan told the public broadcaster KAN.

The unprecedented statements triggered furious reactions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government members, who continue to ignore international calls to end the brutal war on Gaza.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 53,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.