Israeli politician slammed for saying country should not 'kill babies for a hobby'

Smoke bilows to the north as Palestinians move with their belogings through Jabalia while fleeing the northern Gaza Strip towards Gaza City on May 19, 2025, amid Israeli evacuation orders and ongoing strikes. Israel said on May 19 it will "take control" of the whole of Gaza, where aid entered for the first time in more than two months as rescuers reported dozens killed in a newly intensified offensive. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)

Israeli government and opposition leaders condemned on Tuesday a left-wing politician, Yair Golan, after he said in a radio interview that "a sane country... does not kill babies for a hobby".

"Israel is on the path to becoming a pariah state among the nations -- like the South Africa of old -- if it does not return to behaving like a sane country," said Golan, chairman of Israel's Democrats party.