Israeli minister calls for killing ’30 to 40′ Palestinians in Gaza nightly

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has renewed a hardline call for the killing of Palestinians in Gaza, saying Israeli forces should kill “30 or 40” people there each night and act beyond those who are seen as an immediate threat. The remarks were said to have surfaced in a podcast episode involving Rom Braslavski, a former Israeli captive held in Gaza, and were shared widely on Palestinian media.

According to the report, Ben-Gvir said he viewed “all of Gaza as ours” and argued for continued targeted killings even as Israel has scaled back some strikes under the current ceasefire. He also spoke in favor of Palestinians leaving Gaza permanently and of Israeli settlement in the territory. Al Jazeera notes that international lawyers have warned such ideas could amount to forced displacement or ethnic cleansing.

The minister, who sits in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government and on Israel’s security cabinet, does not command the military directly, but he is part of a group that helps shape war and security policy. The article says his comments reflect a long record of provocative statements and policies, including support for the death penalty for Palestinians convicted in military courts.

Al Jazeera places the comments against the backdrop of the war that began after the Hamas-led attacks in October 2023 and says more than 1,250 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began in October, citing Gaza’s health ministry.