British journalist and media personality Piers Morgan called Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide” during a fiery interview with Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom Tzipi Hotovely on his talk show "Uncensored" on Wednesday.

Morgan’s comments came amid growing international scrutiny of Israel’s relentless aerial bombardment of the Palestinian enclave in recent weeks, raising the death toll to over 54,000 Palestinians since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The interview began with Morgan pressing Hotovely on Israel’s blockade of Gaza since March 2, calling it a “war crime” and highlighting that nearly half of Gaza’s population is under the age of 18.

Hotovely defended Israeli policy, stating that aid has been allowed into Gaza for civilians while attempting to prevent its diversion to Hamas. Morgan challenged this, referencing Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s recent statements as evidence of broader intent.

“Smotrich has made it absolutely crystal clear what the real plan is — to completely clean out Gaza of all the Palestinians and get them into a third-world country,” Morgan said. “That is a form of genocide.”

In a May 19 statement praising the Israeli military, Smotrich said “We are conquering, cleansing, and remaining in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed.”

Morgan continued. “It is the deliberate targeting of a people based on ethnicity, displacing them from their homes and killing many in the process. I don’t know what else you would call it. I’ve resisted using the word genocide… but it’s very hard to reach any other conclusion.”

The interview escalated to a shouting match when Morgan asked Hotovely how many children had been killed by Israeli forces. Hotovely responded, “This is irrelevant… Israel isn’t killing children; Hamas is using them as human shields.” Morgan shot back, “Israel is killing children every single day!”

Hotovely accused Morgan of lying and engaging in “blood libel.” She also claimed that Gaza’s hospitals serve as “terrorist facilities,” pointing to the killing of Mohammad Sinwar, the brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was reportedly found and killed by Israeli forces beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis.

While maintaining his criticism, Morgan reiterated that he initially supported Israel’s right to self-defense after the October 2023 Hamas attack. However, he deemed the genocidal rhetoric from Israeli politicians, the ongoing 19 months of war and its mounting civilian casualties to be “utterly disproportionate.”

He also cited criticism from within Israel, including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who told CNN, “The statements made by Israeli cabinet ministers that say we should starve Gaza — what is it, if not a war crime?”

Opposition leader Yair Golan also condemned Israeli military policy in Gaza, recently stating that “Israel is killing babies as a pastime.”

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 17,400 children have been killed since the start of the war, most recently targeting a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, killing 54, including five children.

With the mounting death toll, a United States-mediated ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel may be on the horizon, as pressure mounts on Israel, even from its closest allies such as France, the UK and the US to end the conflict.

“How many innocent Palestinians are losing their lives as a consequence?” Morgan asked.