View source for Israel and weapons of mass destruction

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{{Weapons of mass destruction}}

[[Israel]] is the only country in the [[Middle East]] to possess [[nuclear weapons]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-19 |title=What to know about Israel's nuclear weapons program |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/know-israels-nuclear-weapons-program-rcna213676 |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> Israel is also suspected to possess [[Chemical weapon|chemical]] and [[biological weapons]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Cohen |first=Avner |date=2001 |title=Israel and chemical/biological weapons: History, deterrence, and arms control |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/10736700108436862 |journal=The Nonproliferation Review |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=27–53 |doi=10.1080/10736700108436862 |issn=1073-6700}}</ref>

[[Nuclear weapons and Israel|Israel's stockpile]] is estimated at 90 to 400 nuclear weapons.{{refn|<ref name="wisconsinproject.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/israel/nuke.html |title=Israel's Nuclear Weapon Capability: An Overview |work=[[Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control]] |date=August 1996 |access-date=2015-05-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429192508/http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/israel/nuke.html |archive-date=April 29, 2015}}</ref><ref name=HK>{{Cite journal |last1=Kristensen |first1=Hans M. |last2=Norris |first2=Robert S. |year=2014 |title=Israeli nuclear weapons, 2014 |url=http://bos.sagepub.com/content/70/6/97.full.pdf+html |journal=[[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]] |volume=70 |number=6 |pages=97–115 |doi=10.1177/0096340214555409|bibcode=2014BuAtS..70f..97K |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="israelhayom.com">{{cite web |author1=Hirsch |first=Yoni |date=2014-04-14 |title=Carter says Israel has stockpile of over 300 nuclear bombs |url=http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=16847 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416210127/http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=16847 |archive-date=2014-04-16 |access-date=2024-06-19 |work=[[Israel Hayom]]}}</ref><ref name=independent-20160916>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/colin-powell-leaked-emails-nuclear-weapons-israel-iran-obama-deal-a7311626.html |title=Colin Powell leaked emails: Israel has '200 nukes all pointed at Iran', former US secretary of state says |last=Revesz |first=Rachael |newspaper=The Independent |date=16 September 2016 |access-date=10 May 2018}}</ref>{{sfn|Brower|1997}}<ref name="armscontrol.org"/><ref name="fas.org">{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/initiative/status-world-nuclear-forces/ |title=Status of World Nuclear Forces – Federation Of American Scientists |website=Fas.org}}</ref><ref name="NTI" />}} It is speculated to operate a [[nuclear triad]] of [[Nuclear weapons delivery|delivery options]]: by [[F-15I]] and [[F-16I]] fighters,{{Efn|F-15I and F-16I squadrons are both speculated to be assigned nuclear roles, while it is also speculated the [[F-35I]] has a nuclear capability.<ref name="f408">{{cite web | last=דבורי | first=ניר | title=מטוס ה"חמקן" F-35 יוכל לשאת נשק גרעיני | website=N12 | date=2014-03-26 | url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/security/Article-11d7f8f4b2df441004.htm | language=he | access-date=2025-10-25}}</ref>}} by [[submarine-launched cruise missiles]], and by [[Jericho (missile)|Jericho]] [[Medium-range ballistic missile|medium]] and [[Intercontinental ballistic missiles|intercontinental range ballistic missiles]].{{Efn|The exact range of [[Jericho III]] missile is unclear, estimated from 4,000 km to over 5,500 km, while an intercontinental range is over 5,500 km. The [[Jericho II]] missile is believed to have an medium range of 1,500 km.<ref name="fas2021"/>}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Jericho 3 |url=https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/jericho-3/ |access-date=15 August 2017 |website=missilethreat.csis.org |publisher=Center for Strategic and International Studies}}</ref><ref name="FAS">{{cite web |title=Nuclear weapons – Israel |url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke/ |access-date=July 1, 2007 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists}}</ref><ref name="fas2021">{{cite journal |last=Kristensen |first=Hans M. |last2=Korda |first2=Matt |date=2022-01-02 |title=Israeli nuclear weapons, 2021 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00963402.2021.2014239?needAccess=true |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |volume=78 |issue=1 |pages=38–50 |doi=10.1080/00963402.2021.2014239 |issn=0096-3402 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-07-23 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Its first deliverable nuclear weapon is estimated to have been completed in late 1966 or early 1967, which would make it the [[List of states with nuclear weapons|sixth nuclear-armed country]].{{refn|<ref name="wisconsinproject.org"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Israel's Quest for Yellowcake: The Secret Argentina-Israel Connection, 1963–1966 |author=Nuclear Proliferation International History Project |publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]] |url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/israels-quest-for-yellowcake-the-secret-argentina-israel-connection-1963-1966}}</ref><ref name="NTI">{{cite web |work=Israel |title=Nuclear Overview |url=http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Israel/Nuclear/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102210432/http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Israel/Nuclear/ |archive-date=January 2, 2009 |url-status=dead |publisher=NTI |access-date=June 23, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Matushek | first=Corie | title=Nuclear Weapon Facts, History & Production | date=2019-02-25 | url=https://m2polymer.com/2019/02/nuclear-weapon-facts-history-production | access-date=2025-06-28}}</ref><ref name="h586">{{cite web |last=Avey |first=Paul C. |date=1973-10-06 |title=3. Egypt versus Israel |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/255/oa_monograph/chapter/2416884 |access-date=2025-07-27 |publisher=Cornell University Press |page=63–87}}</ref>}}

Israel maintains a [[Deliberate ambiguity|policy of deliberate ambiguity]], choosing not to formally deny or admit the extent of its nuclear,<ref>{{cite news |last=Bronner |first=Ethan |author-link=Ethan Bronner |date=2010-10-13 |title=Vague, Opaque and Ambiguous — Israel's Hush-Hush Nuclear Policy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/books/14book.html?ref=bookreviews |access-date=2012-03-06 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> chemical, and biological warfare capabilities; it is the only nuclear-armed country to do so.<ref name=":0" /> Citing security threats, Israel rejects international calls to accede to the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]] or to participate in negotiations of a [[Middle East nuclear weapon free zone|Middle East weapons of mass destruction free zone]].<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://doi.org/10.37559/mewmdfz/2023/narratives |title=Narratives of the Middle East WMD-Free Zone: Drivers, Themes, and Historical Accounts |last=Sabet |first=Farzan |date=2023 |publisher=UNIDIR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Middle Eastern WMD-Free  Zone and the NPT {{!}} Arms Control Association |url=https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2022-07/features/middle-eastern-wmd-free-zone-and-npt |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250620224839/https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2022-07/features/middle-eastern-wmd-free-zone-and-npt |archive-date=2025-06-20 |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=www.armscontrol.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name="s316">{{cite web |date=2010-05-29 |title=Israel rejects call to join anti-nuclear treaty |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/israel-rejects-call-to-join-anti-nuclear-treaty-idUSTRE64S1ZN/ |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=Reuters}}</ref> Israel's [[Begin Doctrine]] describes its pre-emptive strikes against nuclear facilities of other Middle Eastern countries, bombing [[Operation Opera|an Iraqi reactor in 1981]], a [[Operation Outside the Box|Syrian reactor in 2007]], and [[Nuclear program of Iran|Iranian nuclear facilities]] during the 2025 [[Iran–Israel war]].

Israeli policy rejects open [[Nuclear testing|nuclear weapons testing]], but it is suspected of carrying out a 1979 covert nuclear test responsible for the [[Vela incident]], as part of its collaboration with the [[South African nuclear weapons program]].<ref name="fas20212">{{cite journal |last=Kristensen |first=Hans M. |last2=Korda |first2=Matt |date=2022-01-02 |title=Israeli nuclear weapons, 2021 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00963402.2021.2014239?needAccess=true |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |volume=78 |issue=1 |pages=38–50 |doi=10.1080/00963402.2021.2014239 |issn=0096-3402 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-07-23 |doi-access=free}}</ref> 

The [[US Congress|U.S. Congress]] [[Office of Technology Assessment]] has recorded Israel as a country generally reported as having undeclared [[chemical warfare]] capabilities, and an offensive [[biological warfare]] program.<ref name="OTA-ISC-559">{{Cite web |date=August 1993 |title=Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Assessing the Risks |url=http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk1/1993/9341/9341.PDF |access-date=December 9, 2008 |publisher=[[U.S. Congress]] [[Office of Technology Assessment]] |id=OTA-ISC-559}}</ref> Israel carried out biological warfare in [[Operation Cast Thy Bread]], against [[Palestinians]] during the [[1948 Palestine war]].<ref name="MorrisKedar">{{Cite journal |last1=Morris |first1=Benny |author-link1=Benny Morris |last2=Kedar |first2=Benjamin Z. |author-link2=Benjamin Z. Kedar |date=2023 |title='Cast thy bread': Israeli biological warfare during the 1948 War |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00263206.2022.2122448 |journal=[[Middle Eastern Studies (journal)|Middle Eastern Studies]] |language=en |volume=59 |issue=5 |pages=752–776 |doi=10.1080/00263206.2022.2122448 |issn=0026-3206 |s2cid=252389726 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="AderetHaaretz">{{Cite news |last=Aderet |first=Ofer |date=14 October 2022 |title='Place the Material in the Wells': Docs Point to Israeli Army's 1948 Biological Warfare |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-10-14/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/documents-confirm-israelis-poisoned-arab-wells-in-1948/00000183-d2b2-d8cc-afc7-fefed64d0000 |access-date=7 September 2024 |work=Haaretz}}</ref>

== Terminology ==

The collective acronym used in Israel for "atomic, biological, and chemical" weapons is the [[Hebrew acronym]]: [[Aleph]]–[[Bet (letter)|Bet]]–[[Kaph]] ({{langx|he|אב"כ}} or {{lang|he|אב״ך}} for {{langx|he|אטומית ביולוגית כימית||Atomic Biological Chemical}}).{{efn|name=ABC}}

== Nuclear weapons ==
{{Main|Nuclear weapons and Israel}}<!-- Remember, folks, there's a main article you can add all the detail you want to. Please keep this section short and to the point. -->

It is believed that Israel possessed an operational nuclear weapons capability by 1967, with the mass production of nuclear warheads occurring immediately after the [[Six-Day War]].<ref name=OTA-ISC-559 /> Experts estimated the stockpile of Israeli nuclear weapons range from 60 to as many as 400.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/israel/nuke.html |access-date=May 3, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429192508/http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/israel/nuke.html |archive-date=April 29, 2015 |title=Israel's Nuclear Weapon Capability: An Overview }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/090316_israelistrikeiran.pdf |publisher=[[Center for Strategic and International Studies]] |title=Study on a Possible Israeli Strike on Iran's Nuclear Development Facilities |first1=Abdullah, Senior Associate |last1=Toukan |first2=Anthony H., Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy |last2=Cordesman |access-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-date=April 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417174702/http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/090316_israelistrikeiran.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Brower, Kenneth S., “A Propensity for Conflict: Potential Scenarios and Outcomes of War in the Middle East,” Jane's Intelligence Review, Special Report no. 14, (February 1997), 14-15.</ref> It is unknown if Israel's reported [[Teller–Ulam design|thermonuclear weapons]] are in the [[TNT equivalent|megaton]] range.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/31/does-israel-really-have-a-thermonuclear-weapon/|title=Does Israel Really Have a Thermonuclear Weapon?|first=Jeffrey|last=Lewis|date=March 8, 2024 }}</ref>  Israel is also reported to possess a wide range of different systems, including [[neutron bomb]]s, [[tactical nuclear weapons]], and [[suitcase nuke]]s.<ref>[[Hersh, Seymour M.]] ''[[The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy]]''. New York: Random House, 1991. {{ISBN|0-394-57006-5}} p.220</ref> Israel is believed to manufacture its nuclear weapons at the [[Negev Nuclear Research Center]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kessler |first=Glenn |date=2025-06-23 |title=Analysis {{!}} How Israel deceived the United States about its nuclear weapons program |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/23/israel-nuclear-weapons-iran-united-states/ |access-date= |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

In 2021, [[Palestine]] made a declaration to the UN under the [[Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]] that it had never hosted nuclear weapons to its knowledge, and saying Israel, as the occupying power, bore responsibility for any unlawful nuclear activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.<ref>{{Cite web |last=State of Palestine Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates |date=21 February 2021 |title=Declaration of the State of Palestine pursuant to article 2 of the treaty on prohibition of nuclear weapons |url=https://front.un-arm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/State-of-Palestine-public-received-2021-02-20.pdf}}</ref>

On 5 November 2023, amid the [[Gaza war]], Heritage Minister [[Amihai Eliyahu]] stated that the use of atomic weapons in the [[Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)|Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip]] could be "one of the possibilities". He was neither a member the security cabinet nor of the war cabinet, and was subsequently suspended from cabinet meetings.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/far-right-minister-nuking-gaza-is-an-option-population-should-go-to-ireland-or-deserts/ | title=Far-right minister: Nuking Gaza is an option, population should 'go to Ireland or deserts' | website=[[The Times of Israel]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-05 |title=Netanyahu suspends minister for suggesting Israel ‘nuke Gaza’ |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231105-netanyahu-suspends-minister-for-suggesting-israel-nuke-gaza/ |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=Middle East Monitor}}</ref>

=== Nuclear weapons delivery ===
{{further|Nuclear weapons delivery|Nuclear triad|Jericho (missile)|Popeye Turbo|F-15I}}

Nuclear weapons delivery mechanisms include [[Jericho (missile)|Jericho 3 missiles]], with a range of 4,800&nbsp;km to 6,500&nbsp;km (though a 2004 source estimated its range at up to 11,500&nbsp;km), and which are believed to provide a second-strike option, as well as regional coverage from road mobile [[Jericho (missile)#Jericho II|Jericho 2 IRBMs]]. Israel's nuclear-capable ballistic missiles are believed to be buried so far underground that they would survive a nuclear attack.<ref name= "washingtonpost.com">{{cite news| url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401050.html | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | first= Ramit | last= Plushnick-Masti | access-date= May 20, 2010 | title=Israel Buys 2 Nuclear-Capable Submarines | date=August 25, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.scribd.com/doc/6088311/Missile-Survey-Ballistic-and-Cruise-Missiles-of-Foreign-Countries |title=Missile Survey: Ballistic and Cruise Missiles of Foreign Countries |website= Scribd |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080928134704/http://www.scribd.com/doc/6088311/Missile-Survey-Ballistic-and-Cruise-Missiles-of-Foreign-Countries |archive-date=2008-09-28}}</ref> Additionally, Israel is believed to have an offshore nuclear [[second-strike]] capability, using [[Submarine-launched cruise missile|submarine-launched]] nuclear-capable [[cruise missiles]], which can be launched from the [[Israeli Navy]]'s [[Dolphin class submarine|''Dolphin''-class submarines]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url= http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jdw/jdw091001_1_n.shtml |title= Israel seeks sixth Dolphin in light of Iranian 'threat' | first =Alon | last = Ben-David|date=October 1, 2009 |magazine= [[Jane's Defence Weekly]]|access-date= November 3, 2009|author-link=Alon Ben-David}}</ref> The [[Israeli Air Force]] has [[F-15E Strike Eagle#F-15I|F-15I]] and [[F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16I Sufa|F-16I Sufa]] fighter aircraft which are capable of delivering tactical and strategic nuclear weapons at long distances using conformal fuel tanks and supported by their [[aerial refueling]] fleet of modified [[Boeing 707]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/israel/iaf.htm |title= Israel Air Force - Israel| first = John | last = Pike |work= Global security}}</ref>

In 2006, then Israeli Prime Minister [[Ehud Olmert]] appeared to acknowledge that Israel had nuclear weapons when he stated on German TV that Iran was "aspiring to have nuclear weapons as America, France, Israel, Russia".<ref>{{cite news|title=Israeli PM in nuclear arms hint |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6170845.stm |work= [[BBC Online]] |date=December 12, 2006 |access-date= July 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=In a Slip, Israel's Leader Seems to Confirm Its Nuclear Arsenal |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/world/middleeast/12olmert.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date= December 12, 2006 |access-date=July 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Israeli PM admits to nuclear weapons |url= http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1809421.htm |publisher= [[ABC Online]] |date=December 12, 2006 |access-date= July 30, 2015}}</ref> This admission was in contrast to the long-running Israeli government [[policy of deliberate ambiguity]] on whether it has nuclear weapons. The policy held that Israel would "not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons in the [[Middle East]]."<ref>{{cite news|first=Khaled|last=Dawoud|title= Redefining the bomb|newspaper=[[Al-Ahram Weekly]]|date= December 2, 1999|access-date=July 2, 2006|url= http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1999/458/intervw.htm |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060626225235/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1999/458/intervw.htm|archive-date=June 26, 2006}}</ref> Former [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] Director General [[Mohamed ElBaradei]] regarded Israel as a state possessing nuclear weapons.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Transcripts/2004/alahram27072004.html|title=Transcript of the Director General's Interview with Al-Ahram News|author=Mohamed ElBaradei |publisher=[[International Atomic Energy Agency]]|date= July 27, 2004|access-date=June 3, 2007|author-link= Mohamed ElBaradei}}</ref>  Much of what is known about Israel's nuclear program comes from revelations in 1986 by [[Mordechai Vanunu]], a technician at the [[Negev Nuclear Research Center]] who served an 18-year prison sentence as a result. Israel has not signed the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]], but supports establishment of a Middle East Zone free of weapons of mass destruction.<ref>{{cite news|title=43 nations to seek Middle East free of WMDs |url= https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25664483 | work =[[NBC News]] |date=July 13, 2008 |access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref>

=== Threats during the Gaza war ===
{{Gaza genocide sidebar |expanded=related topics}}
{{See also|Intent and incitement in the Gaza genocide|List of statements by Israeli officials cited as genocidal}}

During the [[Gaza war]], Israeli and US officials have made statements about nuclear weapons and Gaza characterized as [[Intent and incitement in the Gaza genocide|genocidal intent]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Intondi |first=Vincent |date=2024-07-02 |title=The Threat of Nuclear Bombing and Incitement to Genocide |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/25751654.2024.2396670 |journal=Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament |language=en |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=528–535 |doi=10.1080/25751654.2024.2396670 |issn=2575-1654}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=Commentary: Nuclear weapons, Israel and Gaza |url=https://www.icanw.org/commentary_nuclearweapons_israel_gaza |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=ICAN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Israel right-wing ministers' comments add fuel to Palestinian fears |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-nakba-israels-far-right-palestinian-fears-hamas-war-rcna123909 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114111051/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-nakba-israels-far-right-palestinian-fears-hamas-war-rcna123909 |archive-date=2024-01-14 |access-date=2025-11-06 |work=NBC News |language=en-US}}</ref> Israeli security analysts have also argued these statements undermine Israeli [[nuclear ambiguity]].<ref name="f922">{{cite web |last=Melman |first=Yossi |date=2024-02-28 |title=Israeli Calls to 'Nuke Gaza' Are Undermining the Nuclear Ambiguity Doctrine |url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2024-02-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/israeli-calls-to-nuke-gaza-are-undermining-the-nuclear-ambiguity-doctrine/0000018d-f13c-d1e0-a1dd-f1fd746b0000 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=Haaretz.com}}</ref>

On 9 October 2023, [[Likud]] member of the [[Knesset]] [[Tally Gotliv]] made a [[Twitter]] post calling for a nuclear-armed [[Jericho (missile)|Jericho missile]] "strategic alert" and the use of a "doomsday weapon". She continued that "Only an explosion that shakes the Middle East will restore this country’s dignity, strength and security!".<ref>{{Cite web |title=x.com |url=https://x.com/TallyGotliv/status/1711426284322996613 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209105823/https://x.com/TallyGotliv/status/1711426284322996613 |archive-date=2024-12-09 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=X (formerly Twitter)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-10 |title=Israeli official calls for "doomsday" nuclear missile option |url=https://www.newsweek.com/israeli-official-calls-doomsday-nuclear-missile-option-1833585 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref>

Minister of Heritage [[Amihai Eliyahu]] responded "That's one way." to an interviewer asking if Israel should drop "some kind of atomic bomb" on Gaza "to kill everyone”.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Application instituting proceedings and request for the indication of provisional measures {{!}} INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/index.php/node/203394 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105144115/https://www.icj-cij.org/index.php/node/203394 |archive-date=2024-01-05 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.icj-cij.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Jesse |date=2023-11-06 |title=Israeli minister's Gaza nuclear comments spotlight opaque arsenal |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/11/06/world/politics/israel-gaza-hamas-nuclear-weapons/ |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=The Japan Times |language=en}}</ref> His remarks were criticized by the Israeli opposition, a number of Arab countries, Iran, and China.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2023-11-14 |title=China, Iran, Arab nations condemn Israeli minister's statement about dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-nuclear-weapons-gaza-iran-china-1e18f34dcec40582166796b0ade65768 |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Israeli minister who called to nuke Gaza votes in cabinet meeting, despite suspension - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012 |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/11/israeli-minister-who-called-nuke-gaza-votes-cabinet-meeting-despite-suspension |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=www.al-monitor.com |language=en}}</ref> Palestinian foreign minister [[Riyad al-Maliki]] filed a complaint with the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] arguing the statement was "an official recognition that Israel possesses nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Palestine complains to IAEA about Israel's threat to drop nuclear bomb on Gaza |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/palestine-complains-to-iaea-about-israels-threat-to-drop-nuclear-bomb-on-gaza/3048066 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.aa.com.tr}}</ref> Eliyahu was ostensibly suspended from the Israeli cabinet by Israeli prime minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]], but continued to participate in meetings by phone.<ref name=":13" />  Eliyahu's father [[Shmuel Eliyahu]], the [[Chief Rabbi]] of the city of [[Safed]], repeated the statement: "A nuclear bomb on Gaza is indeed an option!"<ref name=":5" />

US Republican congressmen [[Lindsey Graham]], [[Tim Walberg]], and [[Randy Fine]] were criticized for referring to the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]] to support the [[Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vargas |first=Ramon Antonio |date=2024-03-31 |title=Congressman rebuked for call to bomb Gaza 'like Nagasaki and Hiroshima' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/31/tim-walberg-republican-congressman-gaza |access-date=2025-11-05 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name="r688">{{cite web |date=2024-06-01 |title=Talk of Nuclear Use in Gaza Draws Backlash |url=https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2024-06/news/talk-nuclear-use-gaza-draws-backlash |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=Arms Control Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CAIR Urges Congress to Condemn Rep. Randy Fine's Call to 'Nuke Gaza,' Cites Escalating Pattern of Genocidal and Anti-American Rhetoric |url=https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-urges-congress-to-condemn-rep-randy-fines-call-to-nuke-gaza-cites-escalating-pattern-of-genocidal-and-anti-american-rhetoric/ |access-date=2025-11-05 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Nuclear weapons scholar Vincent Intondi argued that US and Israeli officials' statements are liable to prosecution under the [[Genocide Convention]]'s [[Incitement to genocide|incitement]] clause, but the convention obligates countries to prosecute incitement within their own borders.<ref name=":5" />

== Chemical weapons ==
[[File:CIA report-on-Israeli-Chemical-Weapons.pdf|thumbnail|right|[[Portable Document Format|PDF]] file of the CIA report as described. This version is partially complete, showing only the relevant passages on Israel.]]Israel has signed but not ratified the [[Chemical Weapons Convention]] (CWC).<ref name=untc>United Nations Treaty Collection. ''[http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-3&chapter=26&lang=en Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407202014/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-3&chapter=26&lang=en |date=April 7, 2015 }}''.  Accessed January 14, 2009.</ref>

In 1993, the [[U.S. Congress]] [[Office of Technology Assessment]] weapons of mass destruction proliferation assessment recorded Israel as a country generally reported as having undeclared offensive chemical warfare capabilities.<ref name="OTA-ISC-559" /> Former US deputy assistant secretary of defense responsible for chemical and biological defense Dr. Bill Richardson said in 1998 "I have no doubt that Israel has worked on both chemical and biological offensive things for a long time... There's no doubt they've had stuff for years".<ref>{{cite news |last=Stein |first=Jeff |date=December 2, 1998 |title=Debunking the "ethno-bomb" |url=http://www.salon.com/news/1998/12/02news.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629051243/http://salon.com/news/1998/12/02news.html |archive-date=June 29, 2006 |access-date=July 11, 2006 |work=[[Salon.com]]}}</ref>

=== Possible nerve agents ===
In 1983 a report by the CIA stated that Israel, after "finding itself surrounded by frontline Arab states with budding CW capabilities, became increasingly conscious of its vulnerability to chemical attack... undertook a program of chemical warfare preparations in both offensive and protective areas... In late 1982 a probable CW [[nerve agent]] production facility and a storage facility were identified at the Dimona Sensitive Storage Area in the Negev Desert. Other CW agent production is believed to exist within a well-developed Israeli chemical industry".<ref name="foreignpolicy-20130910">{{cite news |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/09/10/exclusive-does-israel-have-chemical-weapons-too/ |title=Exclusive: Does Israel Have Chemical Weapons Too? |author=Matthew M. Aid |newspaper=Foreign Policy |date=September 10, 2013 |access-date=March 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/166817108/1NIE-on-Israeli-Chemical-Weapons|title=1NIE on Israeli Chemical Weapons|work=scribd.com}}</ref>

There are also speculations that a [[chemical weapon]]s program might be located at the [[Israel Institute for Biological Research]] (IIBR)<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.iibr.gov.il/ |title=IIBR |place=[[Israel|IL]] |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121115121847/http://www.iibr.gov.il/ | archive-date=November 15, 2012 }}.</ref> in [[Ness Ziona]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bsos.umd.edu/pgsd/people/staffpubs/Avner-CBWart.pdf|title=Israel and Chemical/Biological Weapons: History, Deterrence, and Arms Control|first=Avner|last=Cohen|access-date=April 27, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611165900/http://www.bsos.umd.edu/pgsd/people/staffpubs/Avner-CBWart.pdf|archive-date=June 11, 2009}}</ref>

190 liters of [[dimethyl methylphosphonate]], a [[List of Schedule 2 substances (CWC)|CWC schedule 2 chemical]] used in the synthesis of [[sarin]] nerve gas, was discovered in the cargo of [[El Al Flight 1862]] after it crashed in 1992 en route to [[Tel Aviv]]. Israel said the material was non-toxic and was to have been used to test filters that protect against chemical weapons. It had also been listed on the cargo manifest in accordance with international regulations. The shipment was from a U.S. chemical plant to the [[Israel Institute for Biological Research|IIBR]] under a [[United States Department of Commerce|U.S. Department of Commerce]] license.<ref>{{cite news|title = Israel says El Al crash chemical 'non-toxic'|date=October 2, 1998|publisher=[[BBC]]|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/185199.stm |access-date=July 2, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030818042548/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/185199.stm |archive-date = August 18, 2003}}</ref>

=== Use of white phosphorus munitions ===
{{See also|White phosphorus munition}}
[[File:White_phosphorus_in_Gaza_in_2009.jpg|thumb|An Israeli white phosphorus munition explodes over Gaza, 2009.]]
White phosphorus munitions are typically considered an [[incendiary weapon]] or smoke agent, and are not listed under the [[Schedules of substances annexed to the Chemical Weapons Convention|schedules of substances]] of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-25 |title=What is white phosphorus, and what does it mean that Russia may be using it in Ukraine? - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-white-phosphorus-russia-ukraine/ |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> However, in 2005, the [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons]] (OPCW) spokesperson stated that white phosphorus munitions are prohibited under the convention if they have been intentionally used for their [[Causticity|caustic]] properties.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Monbiot |first=George |date=2005-11-22 |title=Behind the phosphorus clouds are war crimes within war crimes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/nov/22/usa.iraq1 |access-date=2025-11-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Palestine has alleged that Israeli has violated the Chemical Weapons Convention by using white phosphorus.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://www.opcw.org/sites/default/files/documents/2023/12/National%20Statement-English.pdf |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250114134029/https://www.opcw.org/sites/default/files/documents/2023/12/National%20Statement-English.pdf |archive-date=2025-01-14 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.opcw.org}}</ref>

In the [[Gaza War (2008–2009)|2008–2009 Gaza War]], various human rights groups reported that Israel used white phosphorus munitions against the populated areas in the Palestinian territory of the [[Gaza Strip]]. In July 2009 Israel admitted it had used white phosphorus during the war but not as an [[anti-personnel weapon]].<ref name="mfa_gazaop_paper_july2009">{{cite web |date=29 July 2009 |title=The Operation in Gaza, 27 December 2008–18 January 2009 Factual and Legal Aspects |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/E89E699D-A435-491B-B2D0-017675DAFEF7/0/GazaOperation.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823140923/http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/E89E699D-A435-491B-B2D0-017675DAFEF7/0/GazaOperation.pdf |archive-date=23 August 2009 |access-date=4 October 2009 |publisher=[[Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs]]}}</ref>

In the [[2014 Gaza War]], [[Human Rights Watch]] noted that Israel apparently did not use white phosphorus due to previous international criticism.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-11-10 |title=Incendiary Weapons: Recent Use and Growing Opposition {{!}} Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/11/10/incendiary-weapons-recent-use-and-growing-opposition |access-date=2025-11-04 |language=en}}</ref>

In October 2023, at the start of the [[Gaza war]], Human Rights Watch verified that Israel used white phosphorus in [[Gaza City]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-12 |title=Israel: White Phosphorus Used in Gaza, Lebanon {{!}} Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/israel-white-phosphorus-used-gaza-lebanon |access-date=2025-11-04 |language=en}}</ref> On 1 December 2023, Palestine gave a statement to the OPCW, calling for an investigation into Israeli white phosphorus use in Gaza as a violation of the CWC, and criticizing Israel for benefitting from its status as a CWC signatory while refusing to ratify the treaty.<ref name=":1" />

Israel also used white phosphorus in southern [[Lebanon]] during the [[Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)|Israel–Hezbollah conflict]], injuring 173 people between October 2023 and June 2024 according to Human Rights Watch.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-05 |title=Lebanon: Israel’s White Phosphorous Use Risks Civilian Harm {{!}} Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/06/05/lebanon-israels-white-phosphorous-use-risks-civilian-harm |access-date=2025-11-06 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Cultural impact ===
Israeli use of white phosphorus has been an influence in [[Palestinian art]], including cinema,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/3224/Gaza-on-Screen |title=Gaza on Screen |date=2023-08-02 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-1-4780-9360-2 |editor-last=Yaqub |editor-first=Nadia |pages=86 |language=en |doi=10.1215/9781478024576}}</ref> drawings,<ref>{{Cite web |title=White Phosphorus for the Birth of Elia |url=https://www.artzonepalestine.net/exhibitions/dna-exhibition-code-of-life-and-identity-annihilated-artworks/artworks/baroud-maisara-2009-painting-white-phosphorus-for-the-birth-of-elia-14/full-pic |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=White Phosphorus for the Birth of Elia |language=en}}</ref> and  poems,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-01 |title=Residential Block: An exhibition by Rafat Asad {{!}} The Palestinian Museum |url=https://palmuseum.org/en/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/residential-block-exhibition-rafat-asad |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=palmuseum.org |language=en}}</ref> as well as international artwork, such as an exhibition by [[Forensic Architecture]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gayle |first=Damien |date=2021-08-16 |title=Artists pull work from Whitworth gallery after Palestine statement removal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/aug/16/artists-pull-work-from-whitworth-gallery-after-palestine-statement-removal |access-date=2025-11-05 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Forensic Architecture |url=https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/white-phosphorus-in-urban-environments |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=forensic-architecture.org}}</ref>

=== Use of tear gas ===
Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, [[Tear gas|tear gases]], formally called [[Riot control agents, chemical|riot control agents]], are considered chemical weapons and violate the treaty when used as a "method of warfare".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Field |first=Matt |date=2024-03-15 |title=Russia appears to be using chemical weapons in Ukraine. And admitting it. |url=https://thebulletin.org/2024/03/russia-appears-to-be-using-chemical-weapons-in-ukraine-and-admitting-it/ |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |language=en-US}}</ref> Israeli forces have used [[tear gas]] against Palestinians, including in the [[First Intifada]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Feigenbaum |first=Anna |date=2014-08-16 |title=100 Years of Tear Gas |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/08/100-years-of-tear-gas/378632/ |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> [[Second Intifada]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC ON THIS DAY {{!}} 28 {{!}} 2000: 'Provocative' mosque visit sparks riots |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/28/newsid_3687000/3687762.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129133239/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/28/newsid_3687000/3687762.stm |archive-date=2019-01-29 |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> and [[2021 Israel–Palestine crisis]].<ref name="t187">{{cite web |date=2021-05-13 |title=Violence flares between Jews and Arabs on streets of Israel |url=https://www.ft.com/content/220e703e-9ed9-4153-932b-1a7bd9de6718 |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=Home}}</ref> In July 2025, Palestine alleged in a statement to the OPCW that Israel had violated the convention by using riot control agents as a method of warfare.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Permanent Mission of the State of Palestine to the International Organizations based in The Hague |date=11 July 2025 |title=STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR AMMAR HIJAZI, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE TO THE OPCW, AT THE 109th SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL UNDER AGENDA ITEM 5 – GENERAL DEBATE |url=https://www.opcw.org/sites/default/files/documents/2025/07/State%20of%20Palestine_EC-109_National%20Statement_ol_%28e%29.pdf}}</ref>

== Biological weapons ==

Israel is suspected to have developed an offensive [[biological warfare]] capability, per the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment.<ref name=OTA-ISC-559 /> Israel is not a signatory to the [[Biological Weapons Convention]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Membership of the Biological Weapons Convention|url=http://www.unog.ch/__80256ee600585943.nsf/(httpPages)/7be6cbbea0477b52c12571860035fd5c?OpenDocument&ExpandSection=3#_Section3|work=United Nations Office At Geneva|access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref>  It is assumed that the [[Israel Institute for Biological Research]] in [[Ness Ziona]] develops [[vaccines]] and [[antidote]]s for [[chemical warfare|chemical]] and [[biological warfare]].<ref name = "NesZ">{{cite web
|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/israel/cbw.htm
|title=Nes Ziyyona
|access-date=February 11, 2007
|date=April 28, 2005
|publisher=GlobalSecurity.org
|quote=Israel is believed to have the capacity to produce chemical warfare agents, and probably has stocks of bombs, rockets, and artillery shells. Public reports that a [[Mustard gas|mustard]] and [[nerve gas]] production facility was established in 1982 in the Dimona restricted area are apparently erroneous. Israel is also probably poised to rapidly produce biological weapons, though there are no public reports of currently active production effort or associated locations.…Israel's primary chemical and biological warfare facility is at Nes Ziyyona [Noss Ziona], near Tel Aviv. The Israeli Institute for Bio-Technology is believed to be the home of both offensive and defensive research.
}}</ref>
It is speculated that Israel retains an active ability to produce and disseminate [[Biological agent|biological weapons]], likely as a result of its extremely complex biodefense program.<ref name="armscontrol.org">{{Cite web|title=Arms Control and Proliferation Profile: Israel {{!}} Arms Control Association|url=https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/israelprofile|access-date=2021-09-03|website=www.armscontrol.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name="wmd-1734" />
Israel has taken steps to strengthen its export control regulations on dual-use biotechnologies.<ref name="armscontrol.org"/> 

In 2025, [[Palestine]] cited [[Israeli-occupied territories|its occupation]] [[Israeli-occupied territories|by Israel]] as preventing full compliance with its 2018 ratification of the Biological Weapons Convention.<ref name="c573">{{cite web |last=Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations |date=11 August 2025 |title=Statement by the State of Palestine, Sixth Session of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention |url=https://docs-library.unoda.org/Biological_Weapons_Convention_-Working_Group_on_the_strengthening_of_the_ConventionSixth_session_(2025)/State_of_Palestine.pdf |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref><ref name="UNTC2">{{Cite web |date=2018-01-03 |title=Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction |url=https://treaties.unoda.org/t/bwc/participants}}</ref> In a statement to a UN working group on strengthening the convention, its mission wrote "we cannot guarantee whether any biological weapons, agents, or facilities exist or are produced on our land, including in [[Israeli settlement|illegal settlements]], nor can we ensure effective customs control over such agents or their potential use by [[Israeli settler violence|armed settlers]]."<ref name="c573" />

=== Biological warfare in the 1948 Palestine War ===
{{Excerpt|Operation Cast Thy Bread|paragraphs=1}}

== Pre-state militants ==
{{See also|Lehi (militant group)|Etzel (Irgun Tzvai-Leumi)|Jewish Resistance Movement|Palmach|Haganah}}

After the declaration of independence, the members of the various pre-state militant groups mostly joined the IDF, including the controversial [[Lehi (militant group) |Lehi militant group]].<ref name="Reznitsky (he)" />
The Lehi militant who built the bombs for [[Operation Samson]] in 1947, the intended [[suicide attack #1947 |suicide attack]] in [[Jerusalem Central Prison]] in 1947, later had a leadership role in the Israeli military's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons division ({{langx|he|אב״כ}}).{{efn|name=ABC}}<ref name="Chissin" /><ref name="Reznitsky (he)" /><ref name="srugim obt" /><ref name="EBA SA" />
He originally enlisted using his girlfriend's surname.<ref name="Reznitsky (en)" /><ref name="Reznitsky (he)" />
Much of his work was purely defensive, such as the development of gas masks, but even that was conducted in great secrecy.<ref name="19 October 2005" />

== Notes ==
{{notelist|refs = {{efn|name=ABC| The [[Hebrew acronym]] {{lang|he|אב״כ}} [[Aleph]] [[Bet (letter)|Bet]]ַ [[Kaph]] can also be written {{lang|he|אב״ך}} with the terminal form of the latter [[Kaph]], and the [[Gershayim]] is usually substituted with a double apostrophe or double quote mark. }} }}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="wmd-1734" >{{cite web
|url=http://www.foi.se/upload/pdf/israel-and-wmd-1734.pdf
|title=Israel and WMD: Incentives and Capabilities
|access-date=February 11, 2007
|last=Normark
|first=Magnus
|author2=Anders Lindblad |author3=Anders Norqvist |author4=Björn Sandström |author5=Louise Waldenström
 |date=December 2005
|publisher=[[Swedish Defence Research Agency|FOI]]
|pages=38
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208203912/http://www.foi.se/upload/pdf/israel-and-wmd-1734.pdf
|archive-date=February 8, 2007
|url-status=dead
|quote=Israel does not stockpile or produce BW in large-scale today. However, we assess that Israel has a breakout capability for biological weapons and also CW, i.e. the knowledge needed to implement theoretical knowledge into the practical management of production and deployment of CBW. The knowledge base would be the one that was built during the 1950s and 1960s where today’s advanced research can be used to upgrade potential BW and CW agents and their behaviour in the environment. We have not found any conclusive evidence that show that Israel’s offensive programs still remain active today.
}}</ref>

<ref name="Chissin" >'''Hebrew version:''' {{cite web| trans-title = Name: Ben-Ami (Chissin) Eliezer – Nickname in Lehi: Yehezkel | script-title = he: שם: בן־עמי (חסין) אליעזר – כינוי בלח״י: יחזקאל | url = https://web.archivhttps://lehi.org.il/he/%D7%91%D7%9F%D6%BE%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%99-%D7%97%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%9F-%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%A8-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%96%D7%A7%D7%90%D7%9C/ | website = lehi.org.il/he | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230130084546/https://lehi.org.il/he/%D7%91%D7%9F%D6%BE%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%99-%D7%97%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%9F-%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%A8-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%96%D7%A7%D7%90%D7%9C/ | archive-date = 2023-01-30 | quote = בין תפקידיו המרובים: מדריך חבלה, סילוק פצצות, קצין ייצור, מפקד סדנא, ראש מדור ניסויים, מג"ד 276 ורע"נ אב"כ. (ראש ענף אטומית ביולוגית כימית). ביום 20 באפריל 1948 נשא אליעזר לאישה את חברתו מהלח"י דרורה גלעדי (רזניצקי), אותה הכיר בשנת 1943. נולדו להם: ארנון, דורון ורווית, ונכדים. | trans-quote = Among his many positions: sabotage instructor, bomb disposal, production officer, workshop commander, head of the experimental section, battalion commander 276 and senior engineer in A.B.C. (head of the Atomic Biological Chemical Branch). On 20 April 1948, Eliezer married his girlfriend from Lehi, Drora Giladi (Reznitzky), whom he had met in 1943. |language=he}} '''English translation:''' {{cite web | title = Ben-Ami (Chissin) Eliezer – "Yechezkel" – Freedom Fighters of Israel Heritage Association | url = https://lehi.org.il/en/ben-ami-chassin-eliezer/ | work=lehi.org.il/en }} '''Translation note:''' In Hebrew it uses the acronyms {{langx|he|רע"נ אב"כ|[[Resh]].[[Ayin|Ayn]].[[Nun (letter)|Nun]]. [[Aleph]].[[Bet (letter)|Bet]].[[Kaph]].}} then expands them in brackets as {{langx|he|ראש ענף אטומית ביולוגית כימית||Branch head Atomic Biological Chemical}}. </ref>

<ref name="Reznitsky (he)" >{{cite news| date = 24 May 2023 | last1 = אלבז-אלוש | first1 = קורין | trans-title = Pioneer Corps: The IDF celebrates 75 years, and those who enlisted when it was founded remember how it all began | script-title = he: חיל החלוץ: צה"ל חוגג 75, ואלו שהתגייסו עם הקמתו זוכרים איך הכול התחיל | url = https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r1oxgsqhh | work = [[Ynet]] |language=he| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230526182429/https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r1oxgsqhh | archive-date = 2023-05-26 | trans-quote = … 'I enlisted under a false name … I chose to enlist as Eliezer Reznitzky. I took the last name of my girlfriend, who waited for me for five years while I was in prison and later became my wife. I knew that [[Mapai]] did not want the borders of the country that I wanted and that the IDF would not be the liberation army of the people of Israel, so I acted like I did in the underground, where we had nicknames … Only when I received the rank of sergeant did I return to my original last name' … Ben Ami enlisted in the 8th Brigade, the first armored brigade under the command of [[Yitzhak Sadeh]]. From there he transferred to the Engineering Corps, then to Armaments, and back to Engineering. He took the first Engineering Officers' Course, graduated with honors, and went on to hold a variety of positions: bomb disposal officer, sabotage instructor, and head of the ABC branch. }} — '''Note:''' The name is {{langx|he|אליעזר רזניצקי|Eliezer Reznitsky}}, and the acronym is {{langx|he|אב"כ|A.B.C.}} with the letters [[Aleph]]–[[Bet (letter)|Bet]]–[[Kaph]], which stands for "atomic, biological, and chemical".</ref>

<ref name="srugim obt" >{{cite news| script-title = he: ברוך דיין האמת: נפטר לוחם לח"י אליעזר בן עמי | url = https://www.srugim.co.il/829766-%d7%91%d7%a8%d7%95%d7%9a-%d7%93%d7%99%d7%99%d7%9f-%d7%94%d7%90%d7%9e%d7%aa-%d7%a0%d7%a4%d7%98%d7%a8-%d7%9c%d7%95%d7%97%d7%9d-%d7%9c%d7%97%d7%99-%d7%90%d7%9c%d7%99%d7%a2%d7%96%d7%a8-%d7%91%d7%9f |script-work = he:סרוגים | date = 15 August 2023 |language=he| script-quote = he:לאחר הקמת המדינה התגייס לצה"ל ושירת בחיל ההנדסה ובחיל החימוש, ובין תפקידו השונים הוא שימש מדריך חבלה, סילוק פצצות, קצין ייצור, מפקד סדנא, ראש מדור ניסויים, מג"ד 276 ורע"נ אב"כ.}} ({{langx|he|רע"נ אב"כ||head of WMDs}})</ref>

<ref name="EBA SA" >{{cite web| script-title = he: לוחמים / אליעזר "יחזקאל" בן עמי (לח"י) | trans-title = Fighters / Eliezer "Yehezkel" Ben Ami (Lehi) | url = https://shayaloni.co.il/portfolio/%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%A8-%D7%91%D7%9F-%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%99/ | website = שי אלוני shayaloni.co.il | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250513093014/https://shayaloni.co.il/portfolio/%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%A8-%D7%91%D7%9F-%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%99/ | archive-date = 2025-05-13 | script-quote = he: בן עמי היה זה שתכנן ויצר את שני "רימוני התפוז" בתוך כתלי בית הכלא, עבור משה ברזני (לח"י) ומאיר פיינשטין (אצ"ל), שפוצצו עצמם למוות כשלוש שעות לפני הוצאתם לגרדום. ב 1948, לאחר שחרורו מהכלא שב לפעילות בלח"י עד לפרוק המחתרת. בן עמי התגייס לצה"ל לחטיבה 8 עם כל לוחמי לח"י, בהמשך עבר להנדסה ולחיל החימוש. עסק בפיתוח אמצעי לחימה. בוגר ביה"ס לפיקוד ומטה. בין תפקידיו הרבים בצבא: מדריך חבלה וסילוק פצצות, קצין יצור, מפקד סדנא, ראש מדור ניסויים, מג"ד 276 וראש ענף לוחמת אב"כ. ב 1969, השתחרר מ צה"ל בדרגת סא"ל. |language=he-IL}}</ref>

<ref name="Reznitsky (en)" >{{cite news| date = 25 May 2023 | last1 = Elbaz Alush | first1 = Korin | title = In honor of IDF's 75th anniversary, first recruits share stories from the frontlines |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/sjb311f3rh | work = [[Ynetnews]] |language=en| quote = "I enlisted under a false name," he said. "I chose to enlist as Eliezer Reznitsky. I took the last name of my girlfriend, who waited for me for five years while I was in prison, and later she became my wife. I knew that the [Ben-Gurion's] [[Mapai Party]] didn't want the borders I wanted for the country, and that the IDF wouldn't be the liberation army of the Israeli nation. So, I acted as I did underground, where we had nicknames. I changed my last name so that I wouldn't be recognized, in case I needed to fight beyond the borders that the IDF set. Only when I received the rank of sergeant did I return to my original last name." Ben-Ami … went on to fulfill various roles: sapper, explosives instructor, and also higher-ranking roles. }} (Note, this is an English version, ''not'' a direct translation of the story in Hebrew edition)</ref>

<ref name="19 October 2005" >{{cite news | script-title = he: החדר האטום הראשון | url = https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2005-10-19/ty-article/0000017f-def9-d3ff-a7ff-fff906dc0000 | work = Haaretz הארץ – Hebrew edition | date = 19 October 2005 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250513090810/https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2005-10-19/ty-article/0000017f-def9-d3ff-a7ff-fff906dc0000 | archive-date = 2025-05-13 |language=he}}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
* {{Citation | url = http://www.nti.org/country-profiles/israel/ | contribution = Israel | title = WMD Overview | publisher = [[Nuclear Threat Initiative]] | date = May 2014 | access-date = October 7, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150918203453/http://www.nti.org/country-profiles/israel/chemical/ | archive-date = September 18, 2015 | url-status = dead }}.
*[https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/collection/153/israeli-nuclear-history Israeli Nuclear History], Archival Document Collection at the Wilson Center Digital Archive
* [https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/the-avner-cohen-collection Avner Cohen Collection] at the Wilson Center's Nuclear Proliferation International History Project
* [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB189/index.htm Israel Crosses the Threshold, National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 189], by Avner Cohen and William Burr, April 28, 2006 (originally published at [https://web.archive.org/web/20060928025149/http://www.thebulletin.org/article.php?art_ofn=mj06cohen "Israel crosses the threshold"], ''[[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]]'', May/June 2006])
*[https://fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke/biblio.pdf Bibliography of Israeli Nuclear Science Publications] by Mark Gorwitz, June 2005
*[http://bos.sagepub.com/content/58/5/73.full Israeli Nuclear Forces], 2002, ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'', September/October 2002
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041031191126/http://www.thebulletin.org/issues/2000/mj00/mj00cohen.html "The Bomb That Never Is"], by [[Avner Cohen]], ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'', May/June 2000, Vol. 56, No. 3 pp.&nbsp;22–23
* ''[[Israel and the Bomb]]'' ([http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/israel/ online]; Columbia University Press, 1998), including declassified documents.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160408221909/http://fas.org/news/israel/000808-israel-1.htm "Obsessive secrecy undermines democracy"] by [[Reuven Pedatzur]]. ''[[Ha'aretz]]''. Tuesday, August 8, 2000—Cohen published ''Israel and the Bomb'' in the United States, and a Hebrew translation of the book has appeared here. In the eyes of the defense establishment, Cohen has committed a double sin.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160408221853/http://fas.org/news/israel/000806-eye-haaretz.htm Fighting to preserve the tattered veil of secrecy] by [[Ronen Bergman]]. The publication of Dr. Avner Cohen's book and of the [[Vanunu|Vanunu trial]] transcripts set off alarm bells for the Defense Ministry's chief of security, who is striving to protect the traditional opacity regarding Israel's nuclear affairs.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160408210214/http://fas.org/news/israel/000728-israel-1.htm "Blast, from the past to the present"] by [[Yirmiyahu Yovel]]. ''Ha'aretz'',. July 28, 2000. If, in the context of the peace agreements and talks with the United States, Israel were to confirm its nuclear capability - while committing itself to no nuclear testing and pledging to build its defense system on conventional weapons as in the past - maybe then it might achieve at least de facto recognition, if not international legitimacy, for its nuclear weaponry, to be used only as a "last resort" and a tool for safeguarding peace after Israel withdraws.
*[https://fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke/farr.htm The Third Temple's Holy of Holies: Israel's Nuclear Weapons] Warner D. Farr, LTC, U.S. Army, September 1999
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061128053251/http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/israel/plut.html "Israel: Plutonium Production"]. ''[[The Risk Report]]'', Volume 2 Number 4 (July–August 1996).
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101107061617/http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/israel/uranium.html "Israel: Uranium Processing and Enrichment"]. ''The Risk Report'', Volume 2 Number 4 (July–August 1996).
*[https://fas.org/irp/threat/svr_nuke.htm#israel Israel The Nuclear Potential of Individual Countries Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons] Problems of Extension Appendix 2 Russian Federation Foreign Intelligence Service April 6, 1995
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=doO-SLaJgbcC ''The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy''] by Seymour M. Hersh, New York: Random House, 1991

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