Itamar Ben-Gvir Calls for Nightly Gaza Assassination Quotas

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the Israeli military to implement a nightly quota of 30 to 40 targeted assassinations of Palestinians in Gaza. During an appearance on the podcast 'The 8 October' hosted by former hostage Rom Braslavski, Ben-Gvir argued that these killings should include individuals who do not pose an immediate threat, stating that some people in Gaza are "not worthy of life" and "not even people."

Ben-Gvir criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for scaling back military strikes under a current ceasefire, which some reports suggest was a concession to U.S. President Donald Trump. Beyond the assassination quotas, Ben-Gvir advocated for the mass emigration of Palestinians and the resettlement of the Gaza Strip by Israel, asserting that he sees all of Gaza as Israeli territory. He also promised Braslavski he would attempt to allow the former captive to personally execute Palestinian prisoners under a recently enacted death penalty law.

While Ben-Gvir sits on the security cabinet and oversees national police and prisons, he lacks formal authority to order military strikes. His remarks coincide with a diplomatic push by U.S. envoy Jared Kushner to revive a peace plan. While Hamas has endorsed the proposal, Netanyahu has rejected it, insisting that Hamas must be "genuinely disarmed" before any Israeli withdrawal. The Gaza Human Rights Center denounced Ben-Gvir's comments as incitement to genocide, and the Government of the United Kingdom has previously sanctioned the minister for inciting extremist violence.