Ben Gvir calls for death penalty as he faces bound Palestinian prisoners

Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was filmed at an Israeli prison where he called for the execution of Palestinian detainees.

In a viral clip, the far-right national security minister was seen standing in front of a cell, declaring that Palestinian detainees "deserve a death penalty law."

The video then pans to several Palestinians inside the cell, shackled and kneeling in a stress position with their backs to the camera.

His remarks come as parliament prepares to debate a series of controversial bills, including one that would impose the death penalty on those convicted of terrorism.

Ben Gvir, who oversees prison affairs, has long called for the death penalty for Palestinians and harsher prison conditions.

Under his supervision, Palestinian detainees have faced increasingly severe treatment, including torture, starvation, and sexual assault, which have escalated since Israel’s war on Gaza began.

Fresh accounts of abuse and deaths in custody continue to emerge, with the bodies of 80 Palestinians who have died in Israeli detention since October 2023 now identified.

Ben Gvir’s death penalty bill was given preliminary approval last month despite opposition from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Saturday, the far-right minister reiterated his demand, calling for “the death penalty law for terrorists - now”.

Palestinian prisoners' rights groups - the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club - described the bill to execute Palestinian prisoners as an “unprecedented act of savagery”.

وزير الأمن القومي الإسرائيلي إيتمار بن غفير يقتحم السجون مجددا ويدعو إلى تنفيذ عقوبة الإعـدام بحق الأسـرى الفلسطينيين#الجزيرة_مباشر pic.twitter.com/imnv0x3Ueq

— الجزيرة مباشر (@ajmubasher) October 22, 2025

Translation: Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir storms prisons again and calls for the death penalty against Palestinian prisoners.

The groups said in their statement in late September that the latest bill aims to legalise the ongoing killing of prisoners, saying its approval "is no longer surprising in light of the unprecedented level of savagery practised by the occupation system."

"The occupation has not been content with killing dozens of prisoners and detainees since the war of extermination began. Today, it seeks to entrench the crime of execution by enacting a specific law for it," the groups said in a joint statement.

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"This law is an addition to a repressive legislative system that, for decades, has targeted all aspects of Palestinian life. It is another step to entrench the crime and attempt to legitimise it."

Israeli authorities have previously charged several Palestinians with terrorism for their involvement in peaceful activism or humanitarian work.

Multiple international rights groups have warned that Israel’s use of such laws is often based on "extremely vague or unsubstantiated reasons."

The former UN high commissioner for human rights in October 2021 said Israel's counter-terrorism legislation must not be applied to legitimate human rights and humanitarian work.

"Claiming rights before a UN or other international body is not an act of terrorism, advocating for the rights of women in the occupied Palestinian territory is not terrorism, and providing legal aid to detained Palestinians is not terrorism," Michelle Bachelet said at the time.