It's widely seen as one of the Middle East's worst-kept secrets - Israel's nuclear programme. Believed to have originated in the 1950s, Israel possesses approximately 90 nuclear bombs, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 

Israel has never officially acknowledged the existence of its nuclear weapons, but they're believed to be aimed at rivals in the region like Iran. The country is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. So the statement by a cabinet minister saying Israel could opt to drop an atomic bomb on Gaza is raising alarm.

More so, since hardliners like Ami-chai Eliyahu - such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich - are part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet. 

So, as Israel continues its bloodbath in Gaza - should the world be worried about its nuclear arms programme?

 

Join Host James Bays

Guests: 

Rabia Akhtar - Director, Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research, the University of Lahore. 

Ahmed Abofoul - International lawyer. 

Patrick Bury - Defence and security expert, University of Bath.