Gaza Genocide · updated 55m ago · 2 min read
Itamar Ben-Gvir Tells Jailed Hamas Figure Hassan Salama “I Want To Kill You”
Ben-Gvir posted video threatening to kill jailed Hamas figure Hassan Salameh. Salameh is a Hamas operative serving multiple life sentences for 1996 bus bombings.
Whether the video is mainly election stunt or prison-intimidation policy.
10 of 11 outlets skipped it: israel has barred security prisoners from purchasing or preparing food since Oct 7, 2023.
Al Jazeera was read line by line by the Watchdog: 6.5. See the score →
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Same story, two versions
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TThe Times of Israel
“Ben Gvir has repeatedly posted videos of himself taunting Palestinian inmates”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera stresses Hamas and Palestinian bodies calling the video an election stunt, while The Times of Israel foregrounds Ben-Gvir’s ongoing taunting policy…
Ben-Gvir’s death threat
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted footage on social media showing him telling jailed Hamas figure Hassan Salama in his cell that he wanted to kill him.
“I want to kill you.. I want to execute you.”
Raed Abu al-Hummus, the head of the Palestinian Authority agency, said in a statement on Monday, “The footage published by Ben-Gvir shows that degradation and depravity have reached their highest levels,” as Palestinians denounced the threats.
Ben-Gvir uploaded footage in a lengthy post on X on Sunday showing him inside the cell of Salama, who has been imprisoned by Israel for 30 years, and Ben-Gvir said the video was taken two weeks ago.
Ben-Gvir told Salama, “I want to kill you. …. I want you executed,” while he was surrounded by Israeli security forces, and the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office called the act “a cheap political and electoral stunt.”
Prison law and condemnation
Hamas described Ben-Gvir’s threat to kill Salama as a signal of “new crimes” against Palestinian detainees, while Hamas pledged to continue efforts to secure their release. The Palestinian Prisoners Media Office said Ben-Gvir’s actions were “a cheap electoral political grandstanding and a cowardly show of force against a defenseless and handcuffed prisoner,” and it held Israeli authorities fully responsible for Salama’s life.
The Knesset approved legislation in March allowing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners in certain cases, a measure strongly backed by Ben-Gvir and his party, Jewish Power. The law does not permit the death penalty for Jewish Israelis, and the legislation drew widespread criticism and protests from countries in the region over its implications for Palestinian prisoners.
What comes next
Hamas warned that Ben-Gvir’s threat could trigger killings of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails, describing the video as a “showcase” meant to expose detainees to the risk of direct physical elimination. The Palestinian Prisoner Defense Center condemned Ben-Gvir’s entry into Salama’s cell and his threat to kill, and it called for ensuring the prisoner’s safety and launching a serious investigation into the threats.
Ben-Gvir said that if he becomes defense minister he would work to execute murderer terrorists and advance a policy of expulsion from Gaza and the West Bank, according to his statements on X. The video also renewed attention on the treatment and security of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities, as Hamas said threats would not weaken Salama’s resolve or that of other Palestinian inmates.