Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called for the killing of 30 to 40 residents of Gaza each night and advocated mass Palestinian emigration from the war-ravaged territory.
Mr Ben-Gvir made the remarks to former Israeli hostage ROM Braslavski – who was captured during the October 7 attacks and held by Hamas in Gaza – in a podcast broadcast on Sunday. The minister also criticised Israel’s recent reduction in strikes against the enclave.
“It’s no secret, I disagree with the Prime Minister,” Mr Ben-Gvir said, referring to a reduction in the intensity of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
“I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night,” he was quoted by Israeli media as saying.
“Not just those who pose an immediate threat – there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people.”
Al Aqsa visits
Mr Ben-Gvir, a member of Israel’s security cabinet, has become one of the most influential figures in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
He is known for provocative stunts, such as praying at the sensitive Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem.
In May, he was berated by his own government and the international community after taunting detainees from a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid.
In the podcast, Mr Ben-Gvir also advocated encouraging Palestinians to leave Gaza and called for Israeli settlements to be established across the territory.
Palestinians should be sent to other countries, he said, while those he described as terrorists should be killed rather than allowed to leave.
“I see all of Gaza as ours,” Mr Ben-Gvir said. “Settlements, not just in Gush Katif but throughout Gaza … encouraging as much emigration as possible, sending them to their countries, and for the terrorists, no emigration, nothing, just to kill them one by one.”
Gush Katif is an Israeli settlement bloc in Gaza that was evacuated in 2005.
Mr Ben-Gvir’s comments come as Israel has reduced the intensity of its attacks since a truce agreement last October and as US President Donald Trump tries to advance a broader ceasefire plan.
Israel’s military has continued conducting strikes, saying it is targeting Hamas militants. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 1,250 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.
The remarks have drawn renewed attention to Mr Ben-Gvir’s long-standing advocacy of the forced displacement of Palestinians and of Israeli settlements in Gaza, positions that have previously drawn international condemnation.
