Palestinian authorities and Hamas have condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after he released a video showing him threatening to kill imprisoned Hamas figure Hassan Salama.
The video, which Ben-Gvir posted on social media, shows him visiting Salama inside his prison cell while surrounded by Israeli security personnel. Ben-Gvir is heard telling the prisoner that he wants him killed and executed.
Raed Abu al-Hummus, head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, condemned the footage, saying it demonstrated what he described as extreme degradation of Palestinian prisoners. He also accused Israeli prisons of subjecting detainees to what he called “organised terrorism.”
The Palestinian Prisoners Media Office described Ben-Gvir’s actions as a political and electoral stunt ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections. It also called the incident an act of intimidation against a handcuffed prisoner and said Israeli authorities were responsible for Salama’s safety.
Hamas said the threat represented a warning of further crimes against Palestinian detainees and pledged to continue efforts to secure their release.
Salama has been imprisoned by Israel for about 30 years and is serving multiple life sentences over his involvement in a series of Hamas attacks in 1996, including bus bombings.
Ben-Gvir has repeatedly advocated the execution of Palestinian prisoners. In March, Israel’s Knesset approved legislation allowing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners in certain cases. The legislation has faced criticism from several countries in the region.
The minister has also called for the “emigration” of Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank. In July, he announced a plan he described as “voluntary emigration” to remove Gaza’s approximately two million residents and said he would establish a migration ministry if re-elected.
Ben-Gvir has also supported the expansion of Jewish settlements in Gaza and plans to annex large parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, positions that have drawn condemnation from European and Arab governments.
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