MIDDLE EAST:Deputy defence minister Matan Vilnai had Israeli officials scrambling to explain his remarks yesterday after he warned the Palestinians that they would bring a "bigger holocaust" upon themselves if they continued to step up rocket attacks on Israel.
"The more Qassam (rocket) fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they [ the Palestinians] will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all our might to defend ourselves," Mr Vilnai told Army Radio.
Mr Vilnai used the Hebrew word Shoah, which Israelis use only to describe the Nazi genocide in the second World War.
Hamas officials, who have often accused Israel of carrying out a holocaust against the Palestinian people, were quick to seize on the remarks.
"We are facing new Nazis who want to kill and burn the Palestinian people," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
Israeli officials quickly went into damage control mode, trying to play down Mr Vilnai's comments.
"Deputy defence minister Matan Vilnai used the Hebrew phrase that included the term Shoah in the sense of a disaster or a catastrophe, and not in the sense of a holocaust," said foreign ministry spokesman Arye Mekel.
Mr Vilnai's comments reflected the growing pressure on the Israeli government to find a way to stem the barrage of rockets Palestinian militants have been firing from Gaza into Israel. Dozens have been fired in recent days.
More than 30 Palestinians have also been killed in Israeli air strikes.