Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has told a Palestinian political pensioner that he would “wipe” out Palestinians in a video that surfaced on social media, Middle East Eye reports.

In the video, Ben-Gvir tells 66-year-old Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who has been detained by Israel since 2002, that: “You won’t win. Whoever messes with the nation of Israel, whoever murders our children and women — we will wipe them out. You should know this, [this happened] throughout history.”

Barghouti has spent years in solitary confinement, and relatives expressed concern that Israel would kill him in custody. Last year, Israeli prison authorities seriously physically assaulted him while he was in solitary confinement.

Barghouti is dubbed the ‘Palestinian Nelson Mandela,’ and remains extremely popular among Palestinians.

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir is seen in a video threatening renowned Palestinian prisoner and former Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, on 14 August 2025 (screengrab) — Photo via Middle East Eye
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir is seen in a video threatening renowned Palestinian prisoner and former Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, on 14 August 2025 (screengrab) — Photo via Middle East Eye

Opinion

Editorial

Words that wound
Updated 18 Jun, 2026

Words that wound

Hate speech rarely begins with physical attacks.
‘New urban province’
18 Jun, 2026

‘New urban province’

CONSIDERING the advance state of urban decay that affects Karachi, voices are often raised calling for the megacity,...
Punjab budget: mixed bag
18 Jun, 2026

Punjab budget: mixed bag

PUNJAB’S budget for FY27 is a mix of good and bad political choices, with a cash-strapped centre tightening the...
Spoiler alert
17 Jun, 2026

Spoiler alert

AFTER the temporary peace deal between the US and Iran is physically signed in Geneva on Friday, an arduous process...
Storm-tested cities
17 Jun, 2026

Storm-tested cities

THE deaths caused by the latest spell of monsoon rains in KP and Punjab illustrate how quickly severe weather can...
Chakwal tragedy
17 Jun, 2026

Chakwal tragedy

A NINE-year-old girl is dead because a Punjab Crime Control Department gunman mistook her family’s car for a...