TEL AVIV: In a live chat on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that there is “no choice” other than to destroy the Hamas terror group in order to bring about a better future for Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.
During the live chat, Musk said that he would like to rebuild Gaza after the current war.
Musk also remarked that civilian casualties are “unavoidable” and that Israel is trying to avoid them in its war against Hamas.
“You need to pair firmness with taking out the terrorists and those intent on murder, and at the same time help those that remain, which is what happened in Germany and Japan,” he added, according to The Times of Israel.
The Tesla CEO also underlined and agreed with Netanyahu that Hamas has genocidal intentions towards the Jewish people.
Musk, the founder of SpaceX and the owner of X, does, however, stated that he would like to assist in Gaza’s reconstruction following the ongoing conflict and that the region’s rehabilitation is a critical first step in averting further hostilities.
“If you want security, peace and a better life for Gazans, then you need to destroy Hamas. You first have to get rid of the poisonous regime as was done in Germany and Japan,” Netanyahu said in his chat with Musk, to which the Tesla CEO responded by saying, “There’s no choice.”
Recalling the atrocities committed by Hamas, Netanyahu said, “…That’s what Hamas is—children were murdered in front of their parents, and parents were murdered in front of their children. They beheaded women and men.”
“It’s tragic, and we try to minimise it…on behalf of civilians amid the ongoing war. They (Hamas) are not in army, or on ground…They are implanting themselves in residential areas, in schools, in hospitals…,” Netanyahu added as he discussed the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel with Musk.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and @ElonMusk held a meeting today, following their tour of Kfar Aza this morning,” the Prime Minister office of Israel said in a post on X.
“The PM showed Musk sections of the film that was prepared by the IDF Spokesperson and which shows the horrors of the massacre perpetrated by Hamas on October 7,” it added.
The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.
Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas’ infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties. (ANI)