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Israel has hit back at comments by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon saying Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost the plot”. 

The deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel issued a missive on social media saying Luxon wouldn’t comprehend the “challenges that come with facing Hamas”. 

In a post on X responding to Luxon telling the Herald yesterday that Netanyahu has “lost the plot”, Sharren Haskel was dismissive of the NZ Prime Minister’s concerns. 

“I guess when you don’t really need an army because your most deadly enemy is a possum or a cat you wouldn’t comprehend the challenges that come with facing Hamas - a jihadist death cult - only a few kms away from your country, that rape, execute, burn alive, and starve your people.” 

Haskel is the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Israel. She is a member of the New Hope Party, which is a minor support party in the current Israeli Government. 

Following Australia this week saying it would recognise the Palestinian state, she also posted on X that such a move rewarded the October 7 massacre and was a “profound moral failure”. 

The Prime Minister’s Office was unable to offer immediate comment. Luxon is expected to speak to media later in the day. 

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during his media standup, where he said Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has 'lost the plot'. Photo / Mark Mitchell 

It comes after Luxon on Wednesday said what was happening in Gaza was “utterly, utterly appalling”. 

“I think Netanyahu has gone way too far. I think he has lost the plot. What we are seeing overnight, the attack on Gaza City, is utterly, utterly unacceptable.” 

Luxon said the Israeli Prime Minister is “not listening to the international community”. 

He said he had been “consistent” in his language and said the current military actions were “driving more human catastrophe across Gaza”. 

New Zealand had limited trade and connection to Israel, Luxon said, but “we have stood up for values”. 

Luxon reiterated that any attempt by Israel at annexation would likely breach international law. 

When he was pressed on the gravity of saying another leader had lost the plot, Luxon said: “I am telling you what my personal view is”. 

“As a human being, looking at the situation, that is how I feel about it.” 

According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu on Sunday rejected allegations of genocide, saying if Israel had wanted to commit genocide, “it would have taken exactly one afternoon”. 

On Monday, the Government announced it would formally weigh up New Zealand’s position on the recognition of Palestine over the next month.