Ben-Gvir Films Prison Threat to Execute Hamas Figure

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on September 28 posted a video of himself confronting Hassan Salameh, a senior Hamas figure convicted over 1996 Jerusalem bus bombings, inside his prison cell, telling him he wants him killed and pledging to work toward his execution if named defence minister.¹²⁶

A conviction from the 1990s

Hassan Salameh has been held by Israel since 1996, after being located and shot by Israeli forces in the Hebron area in May of that year before being arrested and brought to trial, according to israelnationalnews.com. A military court convicted him over his role in planning the February and March 1996 bombings on Jerusalem's Route 18 bus line, the outlet reported. Israel states the 1990s bombings killed and wounded dozens of people, according to Anews and TRT World, while israelnationalnews.com reported that a UN document lists his conviction as covering three suicide attacks that killed 46 people and wounded about 90. He is serving multiple life sentences, a fact confirmed by both Anews and TRT World reporting.³⁴⁵

According to The Jerusalem Post, Salameh helped plan and arrange the attacks against the Route 18 bus line, which the outlet said killed 48 people, including children, women, men and soldiers; The Times of Israel's account of the same events does not confirm this toll, leaving the figure disputed between the two sources. israelnationalnews.com separately reported that a February 25, 1996 Route 18 bombing killed 24 people, and that a related attack at Ashkelon Junction the same day killed IDF soldier Hofit Ayesh. The outlet also reported that Salameh wrote a book, published in the Gaza Strip in 2023 at a ceremony organised by Hamas's military wing.¹²³

The video and the threats

In the footage, posted on X, Ben Gvir is shown inside Salameh's cell, according to Anews and TRT World. He told the prisoner, "I want to kill you," The Times of Israel reported, and separately said, "execute him," according to Middle East Eye. The Jerusalem Post quoted him telling Salameh, "You killed 48 people. Children, women, men, and soldiers - who are my children," and, "Here, I'm responsible for your Hell." He added, "As National Security Minister, I led a policy that turned his life into hell." According to israelnationalnews.com, Ben Gvir described the encounter with Salameh as "a full-circle moment" and said he plans to press for his execution.¹²³⁶

According to The Times of Israel, Ben Gvir has a pattern of filming himself scolding Palestinian detainees while spotlighting deteriorating prison conditions, and the outlet said some of these clips were taken down after critics argued they amounted to unlawful campaign material.²

Political stakes ahead of an election

The threats come as Israel is scheduled to hold a Knesset election, Anews reported. According to Anews and TRT World, Ben Gvir said his party, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit), would insist on controlling the defence and justice ministries before agreeing to join any future coalition. Both outlets reported that Ben Gvir pledged to pursue capital punishment for Palestinian detainees and to speed up what he termed the "voluntary migration," or displacement, of Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank should he become defence minister.⁴⁵

Anews and TRT World reported that in March, Israeli lawmakers passed a law permitting capital punishment for Palestinian detainees under certain conditions, a measure Ben Gvir and his party firmly supported and, TRT World said, championed. TRT World reported that the law sparked broad condemnation and diplomatic tension among Arab and regional nations, while Anews said Palestinians and Arab governments have rejected proposals for voluntary migration; TRT World further reported that Palestinian officials, ordinary Palestinians and Arab states view such plans as tantamount to forced expulsion and ethnic cleansing.⁴⁵

Hamas response

Hamas issued a statement responding to the video, saying, "Our heroic people will remain loyal to their national causes, foremost of which is the issue of the prisoners," as reported by The Jerusalem Post, and adding that Hamas and its prisoners "were not intimidated by him." Middle East Eye quoted Hamas saying, "We have exerted - and will continue to exert- every possible effort, at all levels and through all means, to secure the release of our prisoners," and, "We remain committed to this pledge until they attain their freedom." Middle East Eye reported, according to its own account, that the video reflects a crime and a flagrant violation of international law, and that the intimidation will not weaken prisoners' resolve.¹⁶