Israeli Minister Ben Gvir Says He's 'Pleased' With Worsening Conditions for Palestinian Prisoners Ahead of Elections

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir posted a video on Sunday where female Palestinian prisoners complained about worsening conditions, and he took direct responsibility for them, adding that he was "pleased."

Key Exchange: A prisoner, whose face is blurred, said, "This is our third day without showering. We are not receiving medical treatment, and our clothes are not clean." Ben-Gvir replied, "The good conditions in the prisons are over. This is the current situation, and I am directly responsible for everything. I am pleased with these conditions."

Key Context: The Times of Israel (Center) used charge language like "mocking" and "berated" to describe Ben Gvir's comments, but prominently noted that one of the prisoners said she's part of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and that Ben Gvir reminded them of "far harsher conditions" Israeli hostages in Gaza faced. Alongside the video on X, Ben Gvir wrote, "The 'whining' of the female terrorists about the conditions in the prisons doesn't work on me. Our hostages had no conditions at all. I will continue to lead a policy of the absolute minimum!"

Hamas Statement: The Jerusalem Post (Center) prominently noted in its coverage that Hamas condemned Ben Gvir's comments as reflecting the "extent of fascism and political and moral depravity, and exposes the vengeful, terrorist mindset" Israel and its leaders have. Hamas said, "We warn of the danger of continuing to turn the occupation's prisons into open arenas for violations, humiliation, threats, torture, and murder, and of exploiting the occupation's leaders the suffering of our prisoners as cheap electoral propaganda."

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Political Context: Israel will hold parliamentary elections on October 27, and last week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Ben Gvir and fellow right-winger Bezalel Smotrich to unite their parties since Smotrich's party is currently polling below the threshold of votes needed to enter parliament. On Sunday, Ben Gvir posted an AI-generated political ad video captioned "We promised - we delivered!" that depicts himself ordering overweight prisoners into a prison where they then become skinny. Qatari outlet Al Jazeera (Lean Left) noted that since he took office in 2022, Ben Gvir has pushed for tougher conditions for Palestinian prisoners."

Previously: On July 31, Ben Gvir posted a video where a female Palestinian prisoner complained about the quality of food and water in prison, and he replied, "​​The food should not be good. This is not a hotel." Two weeks ago, a video surfaced from a podcast where Ben Gvir said he believed Israel should be killing "30 to 40" Palestinians in Gaza every night. In June, Ben Gvir made headlines for calling for a genocide against Israel's neighbor Lebanon.

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Coverage Notes: AllSides did not find coverage of Ben Gvir's interactions from Western media outlets, though it was covered by many Middle Eastern sources, including both Israeli and Arab or Muslim-focused publications.

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