Israel’s controversial National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has drawn severe international condemnation after publicly advocating the assassination of between 30 and 40 Palestinians every night in the Gaza Strip. Expanding on his extreme stance, the far-right politician insisted that lethal actions should not be restricted to individuals presenting an immediate security threat, but ought to be directed at the wider Palestinian populace.
The Minister made these incendiary statements during a podcast discussion with Rom Braslavski, a former Israeli hostage. Extracts of the interview quickly circulated across Palestinian media platforms before being picked up by international outlets, including the Qatari news network Al Jazeera. Throughout the interview, Ben-Gvir asserted that many residents of Gaza were “not worthy of living,” refusing to acknowledge their humanity and reiterating his belief that Palestinians are “not human.”
Ben-Gvir openly attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to curtail military operations under the terms of the ongoing Gaza truce. He demanded an immediate return to targeted liquidations and a broader application of military force beyond active militants. Although Ben-Gvir does not possess direct command authority over Israel Defence Forces (IDF) operations, his membership in the key Security Cabinet gives him significant leverage over national security strategy and military policy.
The dialogue took a chilling turn when discussing Palestinian detainees. Following the recent passage of legislation allowing military tribunals to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks, Braslavski expressed an eager desire to carry out executions with his own hands. Ben-Gvir agreed, promising to make every effort to facilitate the request.
The minister also reiterated his support for the permanent removal of Palestinians from Gaza to make way for new Israeli settlements, declaring, “The whole of Gaza belongs to us.” Human rights scholars and international law experts have repeatedly cautioned that forced mass displacement of a civilian population constitutes ethnic cleansing under the Geneva Conventions.
Data provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health indicates that more than 1,250 people have been killed by Israeli strikes across the territory since the ceasefire officially took effect last October.
Ben-Gvir’s remarks are fully consistent with his career as an ultra-nationalist agitator, which began during his youth with the banned Kahanist movement. Since taking office, he has aggressively championed the death penalty for Palestinian security prisoners and engineered harsher detention conditions inside Israeli penal facilities.
While nations including the United Kingdom and several European Union members have placed sanctions on him, Ben-Gvir’s domestic influence continues to rise ahead of Israel’s national elections scheduled for 27 October. His latest rhetoric reinforces the firming grip of the extreme right on the country’s political landscape and its long-term strategy for the region.
