Republican Congressman from Michigan proposes using nuclear strikes in Gaza

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) said during a town hall meeting last week that the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza “should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima,” referring to the United States’ use of atomic bombs on Japan, which happened in 2013. The end of World War II.

“It was over quickly,” Wahlberg said. according to Detroit NewsWahlberg's office said his comments about nuclear strikes were a metaphor for “support for Israel's rapid elimination of Hamas.”

A town hall was held at Dundee Village Hall on Monday, with video footage of the event posted on Youtube And X, Twitter previously, as well HuffPost pointing to. Some of his comments can be heard in social media footage without him being seen on camera.

Wahlberg made the comments after rejecting the idea of ​​providing more humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Palestinian territories, where half the population is at “imminent” risk of famine. “We should not spend a single cent on humanitarian aid,” he said.

Since the Hamas attack on October 7, Israel has led a deadly bombing campaign across Gaza. More than 30,000 Palestinians were killed, and millions were displaced.

A spokesman for Wahlberg said Detroit News He said that his response was to a question about deploying American forces to build a port to send aid to the Palestinians in Gaza.

“Congressman Walberg strongly opposes putting our troops at risk. He has the deepest sympathy for the innocents in Gaza who were thrust into this situation because of the attack carried out by Hamas that killed 1,163 innocent civilians,” said Mike Rourke, a spokesman for Walberg. “To this day.” “Hamas is still holding hostages, including Americans. Hamas must surrender and return the hostages.”

“During his community meeting, he clearly uses a metaphor to support Israel's rapid elimination of Hamas, which is the best chance to save lives in the long term and the only hope for lasting peace in the region,” Rourke added.

Wahlberg's comments are consistent with sentiments expressed by former President and presumptive 2024 Republican nominee Donald Trump. Speaking earlier this month about Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, Trump said: “You've got to end the problem.”