National Security Minister Ben-Gvir threatened to burn Sinwar’s body — Asharq Al-Awsat

In Israel, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would seek the burning of the body of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the bodies of the October 7, 2023 attackers if he receives the post of defense minister after the next elections. He said this in an interview with Israeli public radio, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.

Claims against Netanyahu

Ben-Gvir also placed responsibility for the October 7 failure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He accused former Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi and former head of the Shin Bet security service Ronen Bar of, in his words, misleading the head of government and failing to provide him with sufficient intelligence about Hamas’s intentions.

According to the minister, a week before the attack, he proposed a different approach to Gaza, but senior officials treated his proposals dismissively. Ben-Gvir claims that Netanyahu rejected his warnings at the time, citing the assessment of security experts who did not expect a threat from Gaza.

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Plans for the post of defense minister

On September 22, Ben-Gvir said that he would seek the post of defense minister in the next government ahead of elections scheduled for next month. He said he seeks to change the approach in the army and presented a security plan that provides for encouraging the “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Yahya Sinwar led Hamas in Gaza during the October 7, 2023 attack and later headed the group’s political bureau. According to the publication, Israeli forces killed him in Rafah in October 2024.