Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened Palestinian prisoner Hassan Salameh with killing and execution inside his cell on Sunday, in an incident that drew Palestinian condemnation and renewed debate over the prisoners’ execution law approved by the Israeli Knesset last March.
Ben-Gvir threatens prisoner inside his cell
Ben-Gvir posted a video on his account on X showing him entering Salameh’s cell and issuing him a direct threat, saying: “I want to kill you... I want to execute you.” The Palestinian prisoner appeared inside the cell as the Israeli minister spoke to him. In another post on the platform, Ben-Gvir said that, as Israeli national security minister, he had pursued a “policy that turned his life into hell”, referring to Salameh.
He added that, when he becomes defence minister, he will work to “execute murderous terrorists and advance a policy of displacement” from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in his words. Hassan Salameh is one of the prominent leaders of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. He was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip and was arrested by Israeli forces in Hebron in 1996.
Palestinian condemnation and warnings over prisoners’ safety
He was sentenced to 48 life terms plus 30 years, and has so far spent 30 years in detention, including 13 years in solitary confinement. Hamas described the video posted by Ben-Gvir as “showmanship”, affirming that it had made and continued to make every effort to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
The movement stressed that it would remain “committed to this pledge until they gain their freedom”. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, for its part, described Ben-Gvir’s entry into Salameh’s cell as “cheap electoral political grandstanding and cowardly bullying of a defenceless, shackled prisoner”. The office held the Israeli authorities fully responsible for the prisoner’s life and safety.
The office said Salameh’s appearance revealed, in its assessment, signs of starvation, torture and systematic medical neglect. It called on international and rights organisations to act against what it described as public incitement and to work to protect Palestinian prisoners. Ben-Gvir is known as one of the leading supporters of the law on executing Palestinian prisoners. He celebrated its approval last March and called for its implementation in practice.
The prisoners’ execution law and its implementation mechanisms
The Knesset approved the law late that same month by a majority of 62 lawmakers, amid a welcome from Israeli right-wing parties. The law allows the death penalty to be imposed on Palestinian prisoners “convicted of killing Israelis”. It stipulates that the sentence be carried out by hanging by guards appointed by the Israeli Prison Service, while granting the executors identity secrecy and legal immunity.
It also allows the sentence to be issued without a request from the public prosecution and does not require unanimity among the decision-making panel. Last August, Israeli media reported that the authorities had begun preparing an execution chamber inside a wing designated for Palestinian prisoners.
The law was met with criticism and protests in several Arab and regional countries, along with calls for its repeal and for Israel to be held accountable for what rights organisations describe as violations against prisoners.
