GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Hamas Movement on Friday denounced what it called a fascist display by the Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, after the far-right extremist minister stormed the prison cell of senior Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti and threatened him.
In a statement, Hamas said the raid on Barghouti’s cell would only strengthen his determination to continue his legitimate struggle for the freedom and dignity of the Palestinian people.
The Movement linked Ben-Gvir’s conduct to the wider record of Israeli war crimes, citing the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility, where Palestinian detainees have suffered what it described as “horrific abuses.”
Hamas called for mass public solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and intensified grassroots pressure to confront ongoing crimes by the Israeli occupation forces.
According to footage aired by Israeli media, Ben-Gvir entered Barghouti’s cell and told him, “You will not defeat us. Whoever harms the people of Israel, kills children, kills women, we will wipe them out.”
On July 17, Ben Gvir boasted publicly about starving Palestinian prisoners, attending a Supreme Court hearing over a petition filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel regarding prison living conditions.
Mocking concerns over food standards, he wrote on X, “Instead of discussing deterrence, they wonder if the menu is balanced, healthy, and has enough vitamins.”
He labeled the petition “insanity and delusion,” adding, “The State of Israel is at war [the genocide in Gaza], and while our soldiers sacrifice their lives, the Supreme Court wastes time with hypocrites.”
Ben-Gvir concluded his remarks by affirming, “I am here to ensure terrorists get the bare minimum of the bare minimum.”
Since taking office in late 2022, Ben-Gvir’s tenure has seen a severe deterioration in the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, according to rights groups.
