Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir calls for nightly killings in Gaza, saying targets “aren’t even people,” CBS reports

Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, called for nightly lethal attacks in Gaza during remarks reported by CBS News on August 17. CBS said Ben-Gvir urged that Israel conduct “targeted assassinations” in the territory every night, framing the effort as a matter of routine enforcement rather than a response tied to specific operational events.

CBS reported that Ben-Gvir advanced a numerical benchmark, saying Israel should kill “30 to 40” Gazans each night. In the same remarks, CBS said Ben-Gvir used dehumanizing language about the people in Gaza, telling his audience, “They’re not even people.”

The comments were reported in a context that CBS described as connected to Ben-Gvir’s broader push for aggressive security policy toward Gaza, including pressure for intensified action. CBS also linked the remarks to Israel’s senior political and security leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in describing the political setting in which Ben-Gvir spoke.

Ben-Gvir’s position as national security minister places him at the center of Israel’s security governance, and rhetoric from senior officials can influence public expectations about the conduct of operations. Human rights organizations and international observers have previously scrutinized how parties to the conflict describe targets and civilian harm, and CBS’s reporting adds to renewed scrutiny of official language as fighting continues.

The reported call for nightly killings also intersects with ongoing international debate about the legal and ethical boundaries of wartime targeting. Any routine or quota-like approach, even when framed as “targeted assassinations,” can become a focal point for questions about discrimination, proportionality, and the risk of escalating civilian harm.

CBS did not in its report provide a detailed operational plan or evidence that such a nightly number would be adopted as official policy. As with any allegation of proposed action, the practical effect depends on whether Israeli leadership translates the remarks into directives, procurement, targeting rules, or public statements.

The next steps are likely to include further questioning from Israel’s political institutions and international partners about the conduct of hostilities and the appropriate standards for official rhetoric, particularly from a minister responsible for security policy. Additional reporting may clarify whether Netanyahu’s office or other Israeli officials address the comments directly, and whether security agencies treat them as guidance or as personal rhetoric.