Israel: Ben-Gvir urges significantly increased violence in Gaza

Israeli far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir escalated his rhetoric on 17 August 2026, calling for intensified lethal operations in the Gaza Strip just ahead of a new round of mediation led by Jared Kushner.

In a podcast conversation with former Gaza hostage Rom Braslavski, Ben-Gvir said he wants “to carry out targeted liquidations in Gaza, to remove 30, 40 people every night.” He clarified that he was not referring solely to militants who pose an immediate danger, adding that there are people in Gaza who, in his view, “do not deserve to live.”

Reaction and regional implications

The remarks drew sharp condemnation from Iranian officials. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X: “This Zionist criminal at the same time talks about expelling the Palestinians and building settlements across the entire Gaza Strip. These confessions must be recorded and preserved for the day of reckoning and for the trial of these criminals.”

Ben-Gvir’s statements arrived as Jared Kushner — U.S. envoy and son-in-law of former President Donald Trump — travelled in the region to discuss Gaza’s post-war future. Kushner met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo over the weekend and held talks with representatives of Hamas; his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel was scheduled for 17 August 2026. Former British prime minister Tony Blair and high-level peace envoy Nikolay Mladenov were also expected to take part in the discussions.

Ben-Gvir leads the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party and serves as Israel’s minister of national security. His position contrasts with Netanyahu’s recent public stance: more than a week earlier the prime minister said Israel rejects the so-called “Peace Board” plan for Gaza, declaring that “the Israeli army will not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed,” and reiterating his opposition to the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Hamas official Basem Naim insisted his movement remains committed to the Gaza plan, while former national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat criticised the proposal as a softened version of an earlier U.S. plan. Ben-Shabbat warned that Israel’s forces should not withdraw until “Gaza is completely demilitarized and cleared of all weapons, and Hamas ceases to exist as a military or political organization.”

Photo: press material from the event