Ben Gvir threatens Marwan Barghouti inside his prison cell
The incident has sparked widespread outrage among Palestinians and beyond. On Thursday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stormed into the cell of prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti, detained since 2002, and directly threatened him in a scene documented by Israeli media. The widely circulated footage shows Barghouti in a visibly deteriorated state of health, frail and emaciated.
According to Israel’s private Channel 7, Ben Gvir entered the solitary confinement wing where Barghouti is held and told him: “Anyone who harms Israel and kills our children or women will be erased. You will not defeat us.” The visit, presented as an inspection of tightened detention measures, comes amid heightened tensions following the Israeli army chief’s approval of a plan to fully reoccupy the Gaza Strip.
Barghouti, a leading figure in the Palestinian national movement and a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, is serving five life sentences for his alleged involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis. His visibly weakened physical condition has drawn sharp criticism. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office condemned the move as “a blatant display of the spirit of revenge and incitement that drives Israel’s prison administration.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the incident “an unprecedented provocation and an act of organized state terrorism,” holding Israel “fully and directly responsible” for Barghouti’s life and that of all Palestinian detainees. It also announced plans to bring the matter before the International Committee of the Red Cross and relevant global bodies for urgent intervention.
Palestinian Deputy President Hussein Al-Sheikh described Ben Gvir’s threats as “the height of psychological, moral, and physical terrorism,” warning of an unprecedented escalation in Israel’s treatment of prisoners. Barghouti’s family expressed fears of an in-cell assassination, stating they were “shocked by his altered facial features, exhaustion, and hunger.”
Raed Abu Al-Homs, head of the Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Commission, said Ben Gvir had “crossed all red lines” by targeting such a prominent leader. The Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Defense reported “severe inhumane conditions” in his solitary confinement, noting that Barghouti had lost more than half his body weight due to deliberate medical neglect and mistreatment.
Since Ben Gvir took office in late 2022, Palestinian prisoners’ conditions have markedly worsened, with a notable decrease in inmates’ body weight. In July, the minister openly boasted of “ensuring terrorists get the bare minimum of the bare minimum” in terms of food.
According to data from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Israel is currently holding 10,800 Palestinian detainees, including 49 women, 450 minors, and 2,378 classified as “unlawful combatants,” not counting those in Israeli military camps, including prisoners from Lebanon and Syria.
