Tel Aviv, September 2 (RHC)-- Itamar Ben-Gvir, a notorious far-right Israeli minister, has renewed his calls for the execution of Palestinian prisoners after six Israeli captives were found dead by occupation forces in the southern part of the besieged Gaza Strip.
"Palestinian prisoners should be shot in the head and a law should be enacted to execute them, rather than freeing them," the hawkish minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.
This is not the first instance of Ben-Gvir's incendiary remarks regarding Palestinian prisoners. Ben-Gvir is known for his controversial and outrageous statements in the past. He has repeatedly advocated for the death penalty for detainees in Israeli prisons,
The hawkish Israeli minister also in April called for the execution of Palestinian prisoners to ease overcrowding in the jails. His remarks have drawn condemnation from various human rights organizations and world political figures.
Ben-Gvir has shared his condolences with the families of the captives found dead in the besieged Palestinian territory but pushed back against criticism leveled at the regime for the absence of a ceasefire deal.
Earlier on Sunday, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesperson, alleged that the Hamas resistance movement murdered the six captives, whose bodies were found inside a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, said the six Israeli captives found dead were killed in Israeli airstrikes against the besieged coastal territory.
A high-ranking Hamas official states that the six Israeli captives recently found inside a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah were killed as a result of ongoing Israeli airstrikes against the coastal sliver.
Hamas has offered to release Israeli captives in return for an end to the genocidal war on Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners.
Netanyahu has taken a tough line in the ceasefire negotiations and repeatedly said that military pressure is needed to bring home the captives. According to Israeli media, he has feuded with the regime’s high-profile officials who have said a deal should be struck urgently.
Hamas has said that dozens of captives were killed by Israeli airstrikes targeting Gaza.
Ben-Gvir on Sunday also urged for an increase in military checkpoints across the occupied West Bank and a ban on the movement of Palestinians in its streets.
The remarks came as at least three Israeli policemen were killed in a retaliatory shooting operation near the southern West Bank city of al-Khalil. The attack took place close to the checkpoint in Tarqumiyah city on Sunday morning.
In the early hours of Wednesday, the Israeli army conducted its biggest operation – dubbed “Camps of Summer” – in the West Bank in over 20 years, deploying hundreds of troops and airstrikes on Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas, which are major centers of Palestinian resistance against the usurping entity.
So far, at least 22 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids and strikes in several West Bank towns, and many more sustained injuries.
