The Hamas movement strongly denounced the recent statements made by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, in which he openly expressed his desire to implement the death penalty against Palestinian prisoners held in occupation prisons. The movement considered this discourse to represent the peak of extremism and overt incitement to systematic killing, revealing the true face of the criminal policies pursued by the current Israeli government.
The extremist minister had appeared in a recorded video alongside a 'noose,' where he explicitly expressed his aspiration to carry out execution sentences against Palestinian detainees. Hamas affirmed in an official statement that these threats come within a broader context aimed at transforming prisons into arenas for physical liquidation, in blatant defiance of all international laws and conventions that protect the rights of prisoners.
The movement stressed that Ben Gvir's calls reveal the extent of hatred and racism deeply rooted in the structure of the Israeli political establishment, noting that adopting a fascist discourse places the lives of thousands of prisoners in imminent and direct danger. The movement held the occupation authorities fully responsible for the safety of the detainees, emphasizing that any harm to their lives will not pass without a deterrent response from resistance forces.
In a related context, Hamas called on the international community and human rights organizations worldwide to act immediately to curb these terrorist tendencies and hold the leaders of the occupation accountable for their inflammatory statements. It also demanded an escalation of popular and international solidarity campaigns with prisoners to pressure the occupation and stop the slow killing policies practiced behind bars.
Recent statistics indicate a tragic reality for prisoners, with their number in occupation prisons rising to more than 9,500 detainees as of early March. These numbers are distributed between convicted and detained individuals, all suffering from harsh detention conditions that lack the minimum human requirements and international standards.
The issue of administrative detention stands out as one of the most blatant forms of injustice, with the number of detainees without charge or trial reaching 3,442 prisoners, the highest percentage historically. These detainees represent about 36% of the total prisoner movement, reflecting the occupation's expansion in using this arbitrary measure as a tool for collective punishment.
Furthermore, Israeli authorities are holding approximately 1,249 prisoners under the designation of 'unlawful combatants,' a classification aimed at circumventing the rights of prisoners of war. This number does not include hundreds of detainees from the Gaza Strip who are held in Israeli army camps away from legal or human rights oversight.
Human rights sources confirm that Palestinian prisoners, including detainees from Lebanon and Syria, are subjected to brutal torture, deliberate starvation, and deliberate medical neglect. These repressive policies have led to the martyrdom of dozens of prisoners inside cells, amid suspicious international silence regarding these grave violations.
The severity of abuse against prisoners has escalated unprecedentedly since October 2023, coinciding with the ongoing genocide war in the Gaza Strip. Reports indicate that the Prisons Service launched widespread repressive campaigns, including solitary confinement and deprivation of visits and basic needs, turning prisons into cemeteries for the living.
In the West Bank, the occupation army escalated the pace of daily raids and arrests, with approximately 22,000 Palestinians arrested since the start of the recent aggression. These arrests come as part of the occupation's attempts to break the will of the Palestinian people and undermine any resistance movement in Palestinian cities and camps.
Ben Gvir's statements represent open incitement to murder and reflect the extremist criminal mentality that governs the occupation's policies.
שתף את דעתך
Hamas Condemns Ben Gvir's Calls for Execution of Prisoners, Calls it a 'Criminal Mentality'