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Ben-Gvir’s nightly kill call
Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir advocated killing “30 to 40” people in Gaza each night during a podcast episode with former Gaza-held hostage Rom Braslavski, as the remarks surfaced Sunday and were shared widely across Palestinian media.
“advocated for killing “30 to 40” people in Gaza each night”
Ben-Gvir said, “I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night,” while arguing that the killings should go beyond people he described as posing an immediate threat.
ABC News reported that Ben-Gvir made the statement while discussing Israel’s recovery from the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, and criticized Israel’s recent drawdown of strikes in Gaza.
The ABC News account also tied the comments to Israel’s political context, noting that the remarks were quickly shared by Palestinian media and that Ben-Gvir’s influence has grown in the leadup to Israeli elections Oct. 27.
Braslavski, prisons, and ceasefire
Al Jazeera reported that Ben-Gvir told Braslavski, “There are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people,” as he called for targeted killings of Palestinians in Gaza.
Al Jazeera also said Ben-Gvir controls Israel’s police and prison services and that he has no formal authority over the military and cannot order strikes himself.
In the same podcast discussion, Al Jazeera reported Braslavski asked Ben-Gvir for a role in executions, saying, “Let me be the one who hangs them,” and Ben-Gvir replied that he would “turn the world upside down” to make it happen.
ABC News added that Israel’s domestic media made scarce mention of the statement and that Ben-Gvir does not have power over the country’s military and cannot order strikes on Gaza, even as he has substantial control over prisons and the national police force.
What’s at stake next
ABC News said Trump’s latest proposal involves Hamas gradually giving up its weapons while Israeli forces halt their attacks and begin withdrawing from Gaza, and it reported that Netanyahu says Israel will not retreat from any of its positions in Gaza until Hamas has been completely disarmed.
“The stance leaves other elements of the ceasefire, including the deployment of international forces and any reconstruction of the devastated territory, on hold.”
ABC News further reported that “The stance leaves other elements of the ceasefire, including the deployment of international forces and any reconstruction of the devastated territory, on hold,” linking the political dispute to what comes next.
In parallel, Al Jazeera reported that Ben-Gvir also called for Palestinians to be encouraged to leave Gaza permanently and for new Israeli settlement of the territory, while international lawyers have warned that mass, forced or engineered emigration could amount to ethnic cleansing.
Al Jazeera said Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,250 people in Gaza since the “ceasefire” took hold in October, and it framed Ben-Gvir’s comments as part of a broader pattern of extreme statements as Israel heads toward elections on October 27.
