Hibakusha condemn Israeli minister's remarks suggesting use of nuclear weapons against Gaza
Survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki condemned a Nov. 5 remark made by an Israeli Cabinet minister that the use of nuclear weapons against the Gaza Strip is one option in its battle against Hamas.
Following Russia, which earlier stirred up the possibility of a nuclear crisis in connection with its invasion of Ukraine, the A-bomb survivors, or hibakusha, feel a strong sense of crisis at the mention of the use of nuclear weapons by a party to a war.
"This is outrageous," said Toshiko Tanaka, 85, a resident of Hiroshima's Higashi Ward, who has shared her experience in the August 1945 atomic bombing of the city in more than 80 countries. "There is a fear that nuclear weapons might actually be used to exterminate the other party."
When she was 6 years old, Tanaka was exposed to radiation from the U.S. atomic bombing near her home, about 2.3 kilometers from the hypocenter. She said the Israeli minister, Amichai Eliyahu, "doesn't realize how terrible the use of nuclear weapons is," adding, "I hope that the leaders of each nation will not put their own national interests first, but look at the world as a whole and determine a path toward peace."
Kunihiko Sakuma, 79, head of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, similarly expressed his concern, saying, "Underlying his remarks is the idea that at some point Israel is going to use nuclear weapons."
Another hibakusha, Shigemitsu Tanaka, 83, chairman of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, said, "What a terrible thing to say. It is not human to think of using an atomic bomb on Gaza, which is densely populated. An atomic bomb is an indiscriminate attack, and no one can escape alive."
Israel is not a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons despite being a de facto nuclear power. Tanaka added, "As an hibakusha, I feel a strong sense of crisis."
Koichi Kawano, 83, chairman of the Hibakusha Liaison Council of the Nagasaki Prefectural Peace Movement Center, additionally commented, "No one should utter the threat 'We will use nuclear weapons.' If the war situation deteriorates further, it could become a reality."
(Japanese original by Kana Nemoto, Hiroshima Bureau; and Hiroyuki Takahashi, Nagasaki Bureau)
Survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki condemned a Nov. 5 remark made by an Israeli Cabinet minister that the use of nuclear weapo
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