Ben Gvir steps up threat to remove Haifa-area grave of ‘father of terrorism’ Qassam

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Thursday vowed to remove the grave of notorious Muslim extremist Ezzedine al-Qassam, whose tomb lies in Israel and whose name was given to the armed wing of Hamas.

Far-right Ben Gvir, known for his inflammatory remarks, posted a video on X showing him accompanying security forces the day before as they dismantled an unauthorized prayer pavilion next to the grave of the Syrian-born al-Qassam.

Al-Qassam, who fought against the British and Zionism in Mandatory Palestine before Israel’s creation in 1948, was killed in a firefight in 1935. His grave is situated in the town of Nesher, north of Haifa, and has been vandalized on several occasions over the years.

“The tomb of arch-terrorist Ezzedine al-Qassam in Nesher must be removed. And yesterday at dawn, we took the first step,” Ben Gvir wrote on X.

He had already called for the grave’s demolition during a parliamentary debate in August.

Early Wednesday morning, the Land Enforcement Authority, together with the Israel Police and Border Police, arrived at the cemetery to remove the pavilion that Ben Gvir said was set up without a permit by the Waqf, the Jordan-funded Muslim group that administers many Islamic sites in Israel.

את קברו של הארכי טרוריסט עז א-דין אל-קסאם בנשר צריך להעיף. ואתמול לפנות בוקר עשינו את הצעד הראשון. ברה… pic.twitter.com/mgjSTG7Be4

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) December 11, 2025

Ben Gvir’s video showed a crane dismantling the pavilion. Security forces also took down surveillance cameras around the burial site that had been illegally set up, and a sign overlooking the grave lauding al-Qassam.

“This is the first stage, an important stage, the next step is to remove the incitement installation that is called the grave of Ezzedine al-Qassam,” Ben Gvir was seen saying in the video. “This is the land of the State of Israel, this is our land, this display of incitement here needs to end.”

A Waqf guard who arrived at the scene and objected to the activity was removed, the Israel Hayom daily reported.

According to the report, Ben Gvir told Nesher Mayor Roi Levi: “This is the time to demonstrate governance and sovereignty.”

In a statement reported by Radio Haifa, the municipality praised the developments but also distanced itself from responsibility.

“We see in this action an important step towards law enforcement and maintaining order. With that, it is important to recall that the site is entirely on state land, Nesher municipality has no executive authority. The responsibility for dealing with the place is entirely in the hands of the minister and the government.”

Last year, the Land Enforcement Authority, formerly subordinate to the Finance Ministry, was transferred to Ben Gvir’s auspices by means of a government decision.

In a statement issued by the terror group, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi decried the threat as “an unprecedented level of transgression against sanctity and desecration of holy sites, and a violation of the sanctity of graves.”

“Targeting the grave of al-Qassam… is not merely an attack on a grave, but rather an attempt to erase the memory of a nation and remove a testament to our ongoing struggle,” the statement added.

“Extremism has become an official, declared policy, requiring international action to curb this barbarity,” it said.

In August, the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee discussed the possibility of moving the grave. At the time, Israel was still at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where hostages abducted during the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, were still being held.

According to the Walla news site, chairman Yitzhak Kroizer, of Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party, called the meeting after previously stating: “We must remove the disgrace and moral stain that the father of terrorism, Ezzedine al-Qassam, is buried on state land.”

Ben Gvir told the meeting that police will secure and protect such efforts because Israel needs to send a “very clear message” that arch-terrorists, “even in death, will not be tolerated.”

In its statement, the Nesher municipality said it expects that the measures presented to the Knesset Interior Committee will be “fully implemented, as was assured.”

Born in Syria, al-Qassam was a Muslim extremist who fought against French colonialism in Syria and later against the British rulers of Mandatory Palestine as well as Zionist settlers. He orchestrated many murders of Jews in Palestine during the 1930s. Hamas’s military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, is named after him, as are the crude Qassam rockets that have been fired from Gaza into Israeli population centers in the south of the country.