“Finish them!”, anti-Palestinian former US presidential candidate Nikki Haley wrote on Israeli bombs

Former U.S. presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is facing severe backlash for writing “Finish Them” on an Israeli shell during a visit to sites near the northern border with Lebanon.

The image, posted on X by Danny Danon, a member of the Israeli parliament and former ambassador to the United Nations, shows Haley kneeling and writing on the shell with a purple marker. Danon’s post read, “‘Finish Them’. This is what my friend the former ambassador Nikki Haley wrote,” and featured the controversial image.

Critics have condemned Haley’s message as provocative and insensitive, particularly in the context of the ongoing Rafah massacre and its devastating impact on civilians. Social media has erupted in outrage over Haley’s actions, with one user stating, “I support DEPORTING NIKKI HALEY to her ancestral homeland of India.” Another user expressed disdain, saying, “Shame on her existence she is evil!” A third user added, “These missiles will be ultimately used to kill innocent civilians and children. This is terrorism.”

The controversy comes amid a deadly weekend strike on Rafah, with the White House maintaining that President Joe Biden has no plans to change his Israel policy, despite the civilian suffering in Palestine.

Haley, who ended her White House bid in March after a series of defeats in Republican primary contests to Trump, recently expressed her intention to vote for him. Although Trump has ruled her out as a vice-presidential candidate, she remains a potential presidential contender for 2028.

The Gaza conflict escalated after Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,189 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials. Additionally, militants took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 that the Israeli army reports as dead. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 36,096 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry.