Former Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon says his remarks last week on Israel taking the path of “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza were not directed at the army but at “the politicians, who speak proudly of the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip”, according to the national Channel 12, Al Jazeera reports.

Ya’alon, who was slammed by many Israeli politicians for his comments, stood by his words, saying: “I hope that my public appearance will stop the government from committing a war crime, while imposing the responsibility on [Israeli] commanders.”