Ben Gvir vows to burn Sinwar's corpse!

Gaza – Agencies: Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir pledged that, upon assuming the Defense Ministry portfolio, he would order the burning of the corpse of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, as well as the bodies of Palestinians held by Israel under the pretext that they were fighters who participated in the October 7 attacks. In an interview with Kan Reshet Bet radio, Ben-Gvir stated, “Once I obtain the Defense Ministry portfolio, I will ensure that Sinwar’s body is burned, and as Defense Minister, I will lead a fundamental shift in approach,” he claimed. This pledge comes amid Ben-Gvir’s repeated calls for his appointment as Defense Minister in the next government. Previously, he presented a security plan that included a policy encouraging the displacement of residents in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, the disarmament of the Palestinian Authority, and the arrest of its senior officials.

Meanwhile, the far-right minister stormed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron yesterday, while dozens of settlers continued to breach the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Jerusalem Governorate stated that dozens of settlers, protected by occupation police, continued to enter the Al-Aqsa compound under the pretext of celebrating the fourth day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The Governorate added that settlers’ attacks on residents of the Old City during their Sukkot celebrations represented a serious and systematic escalation, emphasizing that repeated assaults and tightened restrictions during Jewish holidays were driving further tension in the city.

For its part, the Jerusalem Waqf Ministry confirmed that 966 settlers breached the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound yesterday morning under the protection of the Israeli occupation police, performing Jewish religious rituals.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli and Palestinian officials said an Israeli airstrike killed Az al-Din al-Bayk, commander of the Northern Gaza Brigade of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement Hamas, yesterday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the Israeli military killed al-Bayk because he was involved in planning attacks and recruiting fighters. Hamas issued a statement confirming al-Bayk’s assassination in the Israeli airstrike, which medics said targeted a residential building in the al-Nasr neighborhood of Gaza City. Health officials said another person died from injuries sustained in the attack.

Israel has escalated its attacks on Hamas in recent weeks, alleging that the movement is rearming itself and launching attacks in violation of the ceasefire reached in October last year.