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Ben-Gvir calls for nightly killings
Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for nightly killings in Gaza of “30 to 40” people, saying “there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people.”
““I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night””
Ben-Gvir made the statement while speaking to former Gaza-held hostage Rom Braslavski on Braslavski’s podcast, as the two discussed Israel’s recovery from the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023.
Al Jazeera described Ben-Gvir’s remarks as part of attempts at making life “unbearably harsh for Palestinians,” and said he called for nightly killings of dozens of people who he says are ‘not worthy of life’.
The Newser account said the comments surfaced Sunday and were quickly shared by Palestinian media, and it quoted Ben-Gvir saying, “I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night.”
Diplomacy and competing demands
While Ben-Gvir pressed for nightly killings, Hamas urged the Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to accept a peace plan for Gaza after its leadership met with US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner in Cairo.
In a statement, Hamas called on the Board and mediating countries to “compel the occupation to implement all its obligations under the first phase, end all violations, halt killings and incursions, (and) approve the roadmap for the second phase” of the US-brokered plan.
TRT World said the Cairo talks included Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov and lasted over two hours, and it described the diplomatic push as coming as efforts to transition to the second phase of the 15-point roadmap stall following Israeli rejection alongside renewed Israeli strikes in Gaza.
TRT World also reported that Kushner affirmed Donald Trump is committed to advancing the plan and opposes displacement of Palestinians, while Israeli officials expressed concern over US demands to halt targeted assassinations and Netanyahu said factional disarmament must precede any Israeli withdrawal.
What comes next
The Ben-Gvir remarks also intersect with the political and legal stakes around Gaza, as ABC News reported that Israel’s domestic media made scarce mention of the statement and tied the moment to the leadup to Israeli elections Oct. 27.
“highlighting how once-fringe ideologies like Ben-Gvir’s are surging in the leadup to Israeli elections Oct. 27”
ABC News said Ben-Gvir does not have power over the country’s military and cannot order strikes on Gaza, but it noted he has substantial control over key parts of Israel’s security apparatus, including running the country’s prisons where thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank are incarcerated.
In the same reporting, ABC News said Israel’s top court ruled in 2025 that the prison service under Ben-Gvir was depriving Palestinians of a minimum subsistence diet, and it described the stance as leaving other elements of the ceasefire, including the deployment of international forces and any reconstruction of the devastated territory, on hold.
Against that backdrop, TRT World said Kushner is expected to travel to Tel Aviv on Monday to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding reciprocal obligations, while Hamas reiterated its formal approval of phase two of the Trump roadmap with priorities including an immediate end to incursions, a full Israeli withdrawal, aid delivery, the launch of the administrative committee, and reconstruction.
