Israeli media reported on Tuesday that Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir suggested at a security cabinet meeting that the Israeli military should kidnap women and children in Lebanon as a way to put pressure on Hezbollah.
“Let’s start thinking outside the box about Hezbollah,” Ben Gvir said, according to The Jerusalem Post. “Also, conquering territory and killing many terrorists, but also arresting their women and youth and taking them to terrorist prisons. That’s what hurts them the most.”
Ben Gvir’s mention of “terrorist prisons” refers to the Israeli prisons for Palestinians captured in Gaza and the West Bank, which are infamous for torture, including methods such as food deprivation, something Ben Gvir has previously bragged about, and widespread sexual abuse.
Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party, has previously advocated for the killing of women and children. In 2024, he said that any women or children who get close to the Israeli border should get shot in the head, and last year, he reportedly said at a cabinet meeting that the IDF should shoot children who approach the “yellow line” in Gaza.
The Israeli minister recently sparked a diplomatic incident by posting a video of Gaza flotilla activists being mocked and abused while in Israeli detention, leading to widespread condemnation of his actions from countries whose citizens were among the detained. In response to the video, Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation into Ben Gvir.
While often portrayed as a fringe figure, Ben Gvir has significant influence over the Israeli government, and as the minister of national security, he oversees the Israeli police and prison system. He was also seen as the main driving force behind the Israeli Knesset passing a death penalty law that only applies to Palestinians.
