Ben-Gvir vows to burn Yahya Sinwar’s body if made defense minister

Far-right ‘Israeli’ National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir vowed to burn the body of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and those of other Palestinians killed during the events of October 7 if he is appointed defense minister in a future government.

In an interview with public broadcaster Kan Reshet Bet on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir declared: “After I get the defense portfolio, I will make sure to burn Sinwar’s body and the bodies of the October 7th terrorists. As Defense Minister, I will lead a significant change in approach.”

The statement comes amid ‘Israel’s’ ongoing election campaign, in which Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party is pressing for senior security posts as a condition for joining any coalition.

The minister, who already oversees the police and has a history of convictions for incitement to racism and support for a banned terrorist organization, has repeatedly signaled ambitions for the defense ministry.

At a recent event near the Gaza border organized by the settler movement Nahala, he said he hoped “with God’s help, to become the Defense Minister of the State of Israel, to bring us back to Nisanit, to the entire northern perimeter, and to all of Gaza.”

Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 Hamas operation and former head of the group’s political bureau, was killed by ‘Israeli’ forces in a firefight in Rafah on October 16, 2024.

‘Israel’ has held his body ever since and has refused repeated requests—including during ceasefire negotiations—to return it for burial.

Cremation is strictly forbidden in Islam and widely viewed as a profound desecration of the dead.

Ben-Gvir framed the threat as part of a broader hardline agenda.

He has also advocated “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank, the disarming of the Palestinian Authority, the arrest of its officials accused of supporting “terrorism”.

This is not the first time an ‘Israeli’ official has floated destroying Sinwar’s remains.

In October 2025, then-Transportation Minister Miri Regev proposed burning the body in a security cabinet meeting, claiming it mirrored the US handling of Osama bin Laden (who was actually buried at sea) and arguing that “some symbols must not be returned.”

Regev’s suggestion was reportedly reviewed by security officials but did not result in public action.

Critics have long described Ben-Gvir as one of ‘Israel’s’ most extreme political figures.

He has faced dozens of indictments over decades of activism, kept a portrait of mass murderer Baruch Goldstein in his home for years, and built a career defending Jewish extremists in court.