In a statement drawing widespread condemnation, freshman Republican Congressman Randy Fine called for the United States or “Israel” to “nuke” Gaza, likening the besieged Palestinian enclave to Imperial Japan during World War II and invoking the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a model for ending the war on Gaza.

Appearing on Fox News following the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers near the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, Fine said, “The only end of the conflict [in Gaza] is complete and total surrender by those who support Muslim terror.”

“The fact of the matter is the Palestinian cause is an evil one,” said Fine. “In World War Two, we did not negotiate a surrender with the Nazis. We did not negotiate a surrender with the Japanese. We nuked the Japanese twice in order to get unconditional surrender. That needs to be the same here.”

The remarks triggered immediate backlash from rights advocates and political observers, who said Fine’s comments represent a dangerous escalation of genocidal rhetoric within US political discourse on Palestine. By suggesting Gaza should be subjected to atomic warfare, critics argue, Fine is promoting war crimes and openly dehumanizing Palestinians.

Remarks follow embassy shooting amid heightened tensions

The congressman’s remarks came hours after two staffers from the Israeli embassy were killed in a shooting outside a Washington venue hosting an event by the American Jewish Committee. While the incident remains under investigation, Fine cited the attack as justification for calling the Palestinian cause “evil” and demanding unconditional surrender.

Muslim terror has attacked the United States — again. The blood is on the hands of those who refuse to acknowledge the worldwide #MuslimProblem. It is high time to deal with this fundamentally broken and dangerous culture.

— Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) January 1, 2025

Though details of the assailant’s identity and motives remain unclear, Fine’s remarks immediately tied the shooting to Palestinians and leveraged it to reinforce his calls for escalated military action.

Meanwhile, in "Israel", Gaza is experiencing a rapidly deteriorating situation. From relentless daily massacres to an escalating famine, Palestinians are enduring worsening conditions each day, nearly two years into the ongoing Israeli genocide.

Human rights groups condemn genocidal rhetoric

Legal analysts and human rights organizations have condemned Fine’s rhetoric, warning that invoking atomic bombings as a legitimate means to resolve conflict sets a chilling precedent.

“To call for nuking a civilian population under siege is not just morally reprehensible, it borders on incitement to genocide,” said a representative from the Human Rights Watch.

Pro-Palestine activists have pointed out that Gaza has been under total blockade by the Israeli occupation for over 17 years, with the latest war having killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The suggestion that such a population should be subject to nuclear annihilation, they say, reflects a normalization of exterminationist rhetoric in mainstream US politics.

Republican party silent amid rising calls for accountability

At the time of publication, neither Speaker of the House Mike Johnson nor the Republican National Committee had issued a statement in response to Fine’s remarks. Democratic lawmakers, however, have begun calling for censure, and several progressive voices in Congress have labeled the comments “open incitement to war crimes.”

Because of you, Mr. President.

I won’t let you down. pic.twitter.com/AH8XLjYJde

— Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) April 1, 2025

While Fine has long positioned himself as an unapologetically pro-"Israel" hardliner, this latest statement marks a stark departure from prior GOP talking points, crossing into explicit advocacy for mass killing as a legitimate tactic in modern warfare.

In 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of "crimes against humanity and war crimes."

Trend in nuke threats

Over the past 19 months, calls to use nuclear weapons against Gaza have moved from fringe rhetoric to increasingly normalized statements by high-profile officials in both "Israel" and the United States. 

In November 2023, Israeli “Heritage” Minister Amichai Eliyahu publicly stated that dropping nuclear bombs on Gaza should be considered, claiming there were “no uninvolved civilians” in the Strip. He later told participants in a West Bank tour that “even in The Hague they know my position,” referencing international awareness of his genocidal stance. Though not a member of the Israeli war cabinet, Eliyahu had repeatedly warned that a ceasefire or captive deal would destroy the Israeli regime.

In May of 2024, Senator Lindsey Graham made similar remarks, saying that the United States dropping atomic bombs on Japan saved hundreds of thousands of American lives, adding that the use of nuclear weapons in Gaza is not necessary, while 2000-pound bunker-buster bombs are.

His comments at the time, published on his X account, were addressed to Iran, which condemned Graham's reprehensible statement, where he suggested that the Israeli occupation entity should strike Gaza with a nuclear bomb for it to win its "existential" war.

To the Iranian Foreign Ministry:

Let me be clear. I support weapons transfers to Israel that give them the ability to destroy the underground tunnels, bunkers and hiding places of the cowardly terrorists you support and have financed.

Using nuclear weapons in Gaza is not… pic.twitter.com/GcO5FfASq0

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 14, 2024