Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, publicly called for the killing of “30 to 40” people in Gaza each night, in comments that surfaced on Sunday.
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“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.”
Ben-Gvir made the remarks during a conversation with Rom Braslavski, a former Gaza hostage, on Braslavski’s podcast. The discussion centred on Israel’s recovery from the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, when Ben-Gvir criticised what he described as a recent reduction in Israeli strikes on Gaza.
Similar remarks by Ben-Gvir and other Israeli officials have previously drawn widespread condemnation and have been cited at the UN’s International Court of Justice as evidence of alleged genocidal intent. Israel has denied allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza.
Ben-Gvir does not control Israel’s military and has no authority to order strikes on Gaza. However, after spending decades on the far-right fringes of Israeli politics, he has emerged as one of the country’s most influential figures.
He oversees key parts of Israel’s security apparatus, including the national police and the prison service, which holds thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank. Ben-Gvir has previously boasted about reducing food rations for Palestinian prisoners.
In 2025, Israel’s top court ruled that the prison service under his leadership was depriving Palestinian inmates of the minimum food required for subsistence.
Until recently, Israel had been carrying out near-daily strikes on Gaza, with more than 1,250 people killed since an October truce took effect, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The Israeli military says the strikes have targeted Hamas militants. The attacks appeared to ease in recent days in what was seen as a quiet concession to US President Donald Trump, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the president’s latest push to advance the truce, as cited by news agency AP.
Trump’s latest proposal calls for Hamas to gradually surrender its weapons, while Israeli forces halt attacks and begin withdrawing from Gaza.
Hamas has accepted the plan, but has tied the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the establishment of a Palestinian state, a prospect firmly rejected by Israel’s current government and much of its political establishment.
Netanyahu has said Israel will not withdraw from Gaza or alter its position until Hamas is completely disarmed. The deadlock has left other elements of the proposed ceasefire, including the deployment of an international force and plans to rebuild the war-ravaged territory, on hold.
