Ben-Gvir calls for nightly killings in Gaza
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly advocated for killing "30 to 40" people in Gaza each night, comments that surfaced Sunday and were quickly shared by Palestinian media, as reported by the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times.
Ben-Gvir made the statement while speaking to Rom Braslavski, a former Hamas-held hostage, on Braslavski's podcast. The two were discussing Israel's recovery from the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, when Ben-Gvir criticized Israel's recent drawdown of strikes in the Gaza Strip.
"It's no secret, I disagree with the prime minister," he said. "I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night. 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."
Context of genocide case and political rise
Similar statements by Ben-Gvir and other Israeli officials have been widely condemned in the past, and many have been presented to the United Nations world court as evidence of genocidal intent. Israel denies it has committed genocide in Gaza.
Israel's domestic media has made scarce mention of the statement, highlighting how once-fringe ideologies like Ben-Gvir's are surging in the lead-up to Israeli elections on Oct. 27. Figures like Ben-Gvir have become more popular among Israelis since Hamas' brutal attack in 2023, when the militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Many hostages have recounted long-term starvation, physical and psychological abuse and, in some cases, sexual abuse.
Ben-Gvir does not have power over the country's military and cannot order strikes on Gaza. But he is one of the most influential people in Israel, running the country's prisons — where thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank are incarcerated — and the national police force.
Israel's top court ruled in 2025 that the prison service under Ben-Gvir was depriving Palestinians of a minimum subsistence diet.
Escalating strikes and political tensions
Israel was striking Gaza nearly every day, attacks that have killed more than 1,250 people since an October ceasefire deal came into effect, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Hundreds of civilians, including women and children, were among the dead, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, whose casualty information is deemed reliable by the U.N. and other international monitors. Israel's military says its strikes have targeted Hamas militants.
The Israeli military appeared to ease off on strikes in a quiet concession to U.S. President Donald Trump after Netanyahu rejected Trump's latest attempt to move the truce forward. The authority for carrying out strikes in Gaza has been limited to the army's chief of staff, raising the ire of right-wing lawmakers such as Ben-Gvir.
Ben-Gvir's broader vision for Gaza
Ben-Gvir has advocated for mass emigration of Palestinians from Gaza and resettlement of Gaza by Israel. International lawyers say such a proposal could amount to ethnic cleansing.
"I see all of Gaza as ours. 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," he said.
Twenty years ago, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantling a block of 21 Jewish settlements known as "Gush Katif" and pulling out its forces.
Ceasefire stalemate
Trump's latest proposal involves Hamas gradually giving up its weapons while Israeli forces halt their attacks and begin withdrawing from Gaza. Hamas accepted the deal but linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel's current government and most of its political class adamantly reject.
Netanyahu says Israel will not retreat from any of its positions in Gaza until Hamas has been completely disarmed. The ceasefire elements, including deployment of international forces and reconstruction of Gaza, are on hold due to Netanyahu's stance.