Ben-Gvir calls for Israel to take Lebanese women and children hostage

Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called for the seizure of Lebanese “women and youth” to exert pressure on Hezbollah.

Ben-Gvir made the proposal during a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to Israeli media, as ministers discussed expanding Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon despite a US-mediated ceasefire announced in April.

“Let’s start thinking outside the box about Hezbollah,” Ben-Gvir said, according to the Jerusalem Post. “Conquering territory and killing many terrorists, but also detaining their women and youth and taking them to terrorist prisons. That’s what hurts them the most.” 

The comments are seen as an explicit call for collective punishment against Lebanese civilians and family members of Hezbollah fighters. Under international humanitarian law, civilians may not be detained or targeted in order to pressure an armed group.

Since Israel’s latest assault on Lebanon began in March, Israeli forces have reportedly abducted several Lebanese civilians. The exact number remains unclear. They are among 1,316 people currently held by Israel under its “unlawful combatants” law, according to figures published by the Israeli rights group HaMoked.

READ: Christian leaders in Lebanon’s Tyre urge international intervention after Israeli evacuation warning

The legislation, first enacted in 2002, allows Israel to detain people without formal indictment. It has been widely used against Palestinians from Gaza and, according to rights groups, has also been applied to detainees from Lebanon and Syria. Amnesty International has described the law as enabling arbitrary and incommunicado detention, while Human Rights Watch has warned that it allows detention based on secret evidence without meaningful due process.

Ben-Gvir’s remarks came as Israeli ministers pushed for further escalation in Lebanon. 

Israel has continued bombing Lebanon despite a US-brokered ceasefire announced on 16 April. Lebanon’s defence minister, Michel Menassa, said Israel carried out nearly 3,500 air strikes, 407 controlled demolitions and six razing operations in southern Lebanon between 17 April and 7 June.

Reuters reported Monday that the UN human rights office will send investigators to Lebanon next week to examine possible violations of international law. UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the mission would assess breaches by all parties and document findings for future reporting.

Israel’s war on Lebanon has killed more than 3,600 people and displaced over one million, according to recent reporting. 

The humanitarian situation has deteriorated sharply. Three hospitals in southern Lebanon were hit by Israeli forces in under a week, killing nine people and wounding more than 150, most of them medical staff, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The World Health Organisation condemned the attacks, warning that they further damaged access to essential healthcare for displaced and vulnerable civilians.

On Tuesday, Israeli strikes on Tyre killed eight people and wounded at least 32, while Israeli evacuation orders prompted hundreds to flee the city’s historic Christian quarter. Christian leaders in Tyre appealed for urgent international intervention, warning that attacks on the area would have severe cultural and humanitarian consequences.

READ: Lebanon says Israel committed 3,491 ceasefire violations since 17th April