Bono and Ben-Gvir Clash Over Gaza Remarks

U2 frontman Bono criticized Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over rhetoric about people in Gaza, comparing language attributed to the minister to that of Heinrich Himmler, a central organizer of the Holocaust. Ben-Gvir responded in a post on X on September 29, accusing Bono of hypocrisy and supporting terrorism and defending his own position as an effort to protect Jews. The exchange followed an interview with Bono in which he discussed U2’s song The Tears of Things and the Israel-Gaza conflict. Accounts of the interview say Bono likened Ben-Gvir’s reported remarks about Gazans to Himmler’s dehumanizing language and questioned why Ben-Gvir remained in government. Bono also criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for relying on the minister to maintain his governing majority. The remarks at issue were attributed to Ben-Gvir during an earlier podcast interview. Reports describe him advocating targeted killings in Gaza and saying that some people there were not worthy of life. The supplied accounts do not include a full recording or transcript of that interview, leaving the precise context and wording unclear.