Ben-Gvir Calls for Executing Palestinian Prisoners with Headshots
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has once again called for the execution of detainees in Israeli prisons by shooting them in the head.
In a recorded video, Ben-Gvir stated that Palestinian detainees should be killed with a bullet to the head. He demanded the Israeli Knesset pass the law authorizing the execution of detainees in its third reading, promising to provide only minimal food to keep them alive until the law is enacted.
In March 2023, the Knesset approved a preliminary reading of a bill imposing the death penalty on Palestinian detainees. The bill, which requires two more approvals to become law, mandates the death penalty for those who “commit murder out of racist motives with the intent to harm the State of Israel.”
Abdullah Al-Zughari, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, stated in a press release that Ben-Gvir’s remarks represent a system practicing genocide against the Palestinian people. He accused Ben-Gvir of promoting a culture of killing and eradicating Palestinian presence.
He added that Ben-Gvir’s statements go beyond threats, as the Israeli prison administration, under his supervision, has already carried out killings and executions of Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of an ongoing campaign of extermination.
Al-Zughari emphasized that “Ben-Gvir embodies an entire occupation system aiming to eliminate Palestinian existence, including killing more prisoners and detainees.” He cited unprecedented crimes against prisoners, such as torture, starvation, medical neglect, forced disappearances, harsh detention conditions, mass isolation, and relentless mistreatment.
The Islamic Jihad Movement strongly condemned Ben-Gvir’s statements, describing them as reflecting a "heinous criminal mindset" rooted in bloodshed. The movement denounced his policies toward Palestinian prisoners, including depriving them of food, water, and medical care, and subjecting them to systematic torture.
The statement also criticized his open arming of settlers and incitement to kill innocents, seize lands, and violate sanctities, labeling these actions a stain on all those who support or remain silent about Israel’s crimes.
The movement concluded, "The Palestinian people will firmly resist these criminal policies, endangering the lives of our prisoners, with strength and steadfastness. The resistance forces will not abandon our heroic prisoners in the hands of butchers and criminals."
Since 1967, 255 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli prisons, including 18 who were announced dead since the start of the current assault. This is in addition to dozens of detainees from Gaza whose names and circumstances of death remain undisclosed by Israel.
Israeli forces have arrested over 9,450 citizens from the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, since October 7, 2023, along with thousands from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinians from within the 1948 occupied territories.
Simultaneously, reports indicate an unprecedented surge in torture against detainees, documented by numerous testimonies monitored by specialized institutions. These include torture, starvation, medical neglect, forced disappearances, dire detention conditions, mass isolation, and severe mistreatment.
Source: Al Jazeera Mubasher + Palestinian News Agency