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Itamar Ben-Gvir

The latest news and top stories on Itamar Ben-Gvir, an Israeli far-right politician and lawyer. He leads the Otzma Yehudit party, known for its ultranationalist and Kahanist ideology. As Minister of National Security, a role he has held since 2022, he oversees Israel’s police and paramilitary border police, with responsibilities including combating nationalist crime and terrorism. His tenure has seen efforts to relax gun ownership laws and establish a National Guard. Ben-Gvir has a background defending Jewish extremists and has faced convictions for incitement to racism. He publicly criticised the resumption of aid to Gaza.

Israel-Gaza war

Far-right Ben-Gvir urges Israel to kill ‘30 to 40 every night’ in Gaza

The national security minister does not have power to order strikes but is one of the most influential people in Israel.

17 Aug 2026 - 12:21PM

Israel-Gaza war

Strikes kill 18 in Gaza as Israeli minister says no deal to halt attacks

3 Aug 2026 - 9:32AM

Israel

Israeli rule change clears way for using crocodiles to deter prison breaks

19 Jul 2026 - 12:38AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Israel, Hezbollah agree to truce in Lebanon after fighting flares up, killing 47

The fresh clashes caused US-Iran talks in Switzerland planned for Friday to be delayed, with no new date announced.

19 Jun 2026 - 10:44PM

Smoke rises near Beaufort Castle following an Israeli military strike in southern Lebanon. Photo: AP

Israel-Gaza war

Israel’s foreign minister cuts ties with top EU diplomat over ‘apartheid’ remark

Saar accused Kallas of ‘acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness’ by reportedly comparing Israel to South Africa’s apartheid regime.

18 Jun 2026 - 7:40PM

China trade

After US-Iran deal, tanking oil prices, analysts see ‘grey area’ for China firms

‘There’s still uncertainty on the longevity of this deal’, ING analyst says as traders wait to see if sanctions will be lifted while weighing potential for Israeli interference.

15 Jun 2026 - 11:00PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump may get birthday gift of an Iran deal, but the party may be short-lived

As the US, Iran and Pakistan announce they have reached an agreement on the conflict, Chinese analysts flag Israel as unpredictable factor.

15 Jun 2026 - 8:37PMvideocam

Beijing welcomed the expected signing of an agreement between Washington and Tehran, urging all parties to an Iran war deal to “stay committed to peaceful solutions”. Photo: EPA

Israel-Iran conflict

Israeli strikes on Beirut foil US peace plans, Iran says ‘no point’ in talks

Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, an attack US President Donald Trump said ‘should not have happened’.

15 Jun 2026 - 4:40AM

Middle East

Gunman opens fire in central Israel, killing 1 and wounding 5

Palestinian attacker shot dead by police after targeting several locations close to the boundary with the occupied West Bank.

8 Jun 2026 - 3:14PM

Middle East

Israel steps up Lebanon strikes to ‘crush’ Hezbollah

Netanyahu pledges to intensify Israeli firepower, citing drone threats since April 17 ceasefire.

26 May 2026 - 9:51AM

A drone with fiber-optic cable attached flies over the border from Lebanon to Israel. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

Israeli far-right ministers want ‘return to war in Lebanon’ despite peace talks

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocated for strikes on Beirut and cutting off electricity to Lebanon.

25 May 2026 - 8:21PMvideocam

Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir delivers a speech during a gathering by right-wing activists near the border with Gaza on October 21, 2024, calling to establish a new Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip. Photo: AFP

Israel-Gaza war

EU next? Israeli far-right minister Ben-Gvir banned from French territory

Many nations were angry after the minister posted a ‌video of himself taunting activists being pinned down after trying to help Gaza.

23 May 2026 - 10:33PM

Indonesia

‘So rough’: father of Indonesian on Gaza flotilla claims Israeli mistreatment

Nine Indonesians were among those detained when Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla on Monday.

22 May 2026 - 6:02PMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

‘Welcome to Israel’: videos of bound Gaza flotilla activists trigger furore

Netanyahu scolds Israel’s security minister for releasing footage taunting hundreds of detained civilians as international backlash grows.

21 May 2026 - 12:45PM

A screengrab of a video posted by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shows detained activists from the Gaza-bound flotilla. Photo: @itamarbengvir via X

Israel-Gaza war

Israel approves death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis

The law makes the death penalty – by hanging – the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted for nationalistic killings.

31 Mar 2026 - 11:42AM

Israel

UN accuses Israel of subjecting Palestinians in West Bank to ‘apartheid’

For first time, UN rights chief labels situation in occupied Palestinian territories ‘apartheid’, a term previously used only by UN experts.

7 Jan 2026 - 7:06PM

Israel-Gaza war

Israeli strike in Lebanon kills Hezbollah operative amid tensions with UN peacekeepers

Strike kills a school principal with Hezbollah links on the same day Israeli forces mistakenly fired near UN peacekeepers.

17 Nov 2025 - 4:58PMvideocam

Israel

Netanyahu faces backlash over US-backed statement on Palestinian independence

The statement indicating support for a pathway to a Palestinian state infuriated Netanyahu’s conservative and ultranationalist allies.

17 Nov 2025 - 6:23AM

Israel

Israeli settlers torch West Bank mosque sparking US concern

Israeli settlers torched a mosque, defacing it with hateful graffiti, prompting rare condemnations from officials amid rising tensions.

14 Nov 2025 - 12:15AM

Israel-Gaza war

Israel arrests military’s former top lawyer for leaking abuse video

Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s resignation and hours-long disappearance had sparked media speculation about a possible suicide attempt.

4 Nov 2025 - 3:29PM

Israel-Gaza war

‘Insult’: Vance slams Israeli vote on West Bank annexation

The US vice-president says a move by Israeli lawmakers towards that end looks like a stupid ‘political stunt’.

23 Oct 2025 - 11:20PM

Israel

Israel advances West Bank annexation bill during J.D. Vance visit

The UN’s highest court said that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and its settlements there are illegal.

23 Oct 2025 - 12:52AM

A boy holds a Palestinian flag during a demonstration against what Palestinians say is Israel’s confiscation of their land, as Israeli security forces stand guard, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Photo: Reuters

Israel-Gaza war

Trump and Israel warn of resumed fighting in Gaza if Hamas does not respect deal

US president says ‘Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word’, as Hamas falls short handing over remains of dead hostages.

16 Oct 2025 - 10:07AM

Israel-Gaza war

Aid resumes in Gaza with Rafah crossing set to reopen after hostage body dispute

The dispute over the return of bodies still has the potential to upset the ceasefire deal, along with other yet to be resolved issues.

15 Oct 2025 - 11:45PMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

End to Gaza hostilities looms after Israel government approves deal with Hamas

Approval sets a 24-hour clock for hostilities to suspend and 72 hours for the release of all remaining Israeli hostages.

10 Oct 2025 - 10:18AM

Palestinian children celebrate at a camp for displaced people in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday following news of a new Gaza ceasefire deal. Photo: AFP

Malaysia

Toilet water, snatched hijabs: Malaysian activists recount Israeli detention

Malaysians who were part of a Gaza aid flotilla say they were humiliated and denied basic rights, forcing them to drink from a toilet.

8 Oct 2025 - 2:49PM

Malaysians from the Global Sumud Flotilla prostrate in prayer upon arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Israel-Gaza war

Some Gaza flotilla activists allege mistreatment while being detained in Israel

Israel’s Foreign Ministry refuted the claims as ‘brazen lies’, stating all detainees’ legal rights were ‘fully upheld’.

6 Oct 2025 - 10:58AM

Israel-Gaza war

Israeli court says government not giving Palestinian prisoners enough food

Unanimous decision rules that inmates must receive more food, a rare rebuke of Israel’s actions during the nearly two-year Gaza conflict.

8 Sep 2025 - 9:04AM

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