Ben Gvir raids Ofer Prison and threatens prisoners with execution ahead of Ramadan

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir raided the cells of Palestinian prisoners in Ofer military prison, located near Ramallah, this Friday morning. Ben Gvir was accompanied on this provocative tour by the director of the Israeli Prison Service, inspecting the cells where hundreds of prisoners are held amidst strict and unprecedented security measures.

Media sources reported that the raid coincided with widespread suppression operations carried out by prison units, including the firing of tear gas canisters and stun grenades inside closed rooms. Video documentation also showed occupation forces pointing automatic weapons directly at prisoners in their cells, causing extreme tension within the prison sections.

During his tour, Ben Gvir issued direct threats to Palestinian prisoners, warning them against any protest actions or movements coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan. The extremist minister boasted about the restrictions he has imposed on detention conditions since taking office, considering that prisons have become places of deterrence and no longer provide any means of comfort, as he previously claimed.

In the context of his inflammatory statements, Ben Gvir assured Prison Service personnel that the current changes are insufficient, emphasizing his diligent efforts to pass a law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners. These statements come at a time when international concerns are growing about Israeli prisons turning into centers of slow killing under official political cover from the far-right government.

A human rights report issued by the 'B'Tselem' center earlier this year revealed that Israeli prisons have transformed into a 'systematic network of torture camps.' The report confirmed that the official policy followed involves physical and psychological abuse, deliberate starvation, in addition to deliberate medical neglect and complete isolation from the outside world and lawyers.

Statistics indicate that at least 84 prisoners have died in detention centers from October 2023 until the end of 2025, while other human rights organizations raise the number to 94 martyrs. According to the latest data, approximately 10,863 prisoners are held in occupation prisons, including 350 children and 48 female prisoners, living in harsh detention conditions lacking the most basic human necessities.

Prisons have become a real prison, not a hotel, and I seek to push for the approval of the death penalty for prisoners.