Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called for 30 to 40 people to be killed in Gaza every night, including people who pose no immediate threat. The remarks were made in a podcast and reported by Danish broadcaster DR on August 18, 2026.
According to DR, Ben-Gvir said targeted killings should be carried out in Gaza, removing 30 to 40 people each night. He stated that this should not apply only to people who represent an immediate threat. He described some people in Gaza as unworthy of life and as not even being human.
Ben-Gvir leads the far-right party Otzma Yehudit and serves in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. As reported by CBS News, he also said he sees all of Gaza as belonging to Israel. In the same interview he argued for new Israeli settlements in Gaza and for Palestinians to leave the territory permanently.
How the remarks surfaced
Al Jazeera reported that the podcast was hosted by Rom Braslavski, a former Israeli captive held in Gaza. The clip surfaced publicly on Sunday, August 16, 2026, and spread widely in Palestinian media. Der Spiegel added that Ben-Gvir said he disagreed with Netanyahu’s more restrained approach.
CBS News reported that Ben-Gvir spoke while discussing Israel’s recently reduced number of strikes in Gaza. Netanyahu rejected a US-backed Gaza plan on August 9, 2026, promising no military withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed, per DR.
DR notes that Ben-Gvir has no authority over the Israeli military and cannot order attacks himself. He sits in Israel’s security cabinet, which helps shape war and security policy. As national security minister, he is responsible for the police and the prison service.
DR’s international correspondent Steffen Kretz described the statements as highly remarkable, even from Ben-Gvir. Per Kretz, the call amounts to an incitement to commit war crimes, breaking the basic rule of distinguishing between combatants and civilians. He noted that the words come from a sitting minister in Jerusalem, not a marginal activist.
Kretz also said Ben-Gvir holds significant political leverage, because Netanyahu’s coalition would collapse without Otzma Yehudit. According to Kretz, most Israelis reject Ben-Gvir’s views, but his positions have moved closer to the political mainstream since he entered government.
More than 1,250 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since a ceasefire took effect on October 10, according to health authorities in Gaza cited by DR. The ceasefire formally remains in place, but the Israeli military has carried out strikes almost daily since then, DR writes, citing the BBC.
Ben-Gvir has previously drawn international criticism, including for advocating the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks. DR reports that the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway sanctioned him last year over incitement to violence in the occupied West Bank. Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia followed, and France and Ireland have barred his entry this year.
