Hostage coordinator said to ask Ben Gvir to ‘tone it down’ after meeting top Palestinian prisoner amid fears hostages could be harmed

17 August 2025, 5:45 pm

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National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (left) speaks to jailed Palestinian terror convict Marwan Barghouti in his cell in footage released on August 14, 2025 (X screenshot; used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

Government hostage pointman Gal Hirsch called far-right National Security minister to ask him to “tone down” his rhetoric amid fears that the hostages could be harmed in response, Ynet reports.

The call comes after Ben Gvir visited the cell of prominent Palestinian terror convict Marwan Barghouti last week and appeared to taunt him in footage published on social media.

Ben Gvir is said to have responded that he understands the concerns of the hostage families, but “the conception that you can’t annoy the terrorists is over.”