Far-right Israeli minister calls for demolition of Izz al-Din al-Qassam’s grave near Haifa
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the demolition of the grave of Izz al-Din al-Qassam, the Palestinian resistance leader whose name was adopted by Hamas’s armed wing.
Speaking at a Knesset Interior Committee hearing on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir described al-Qassam as “a major criminal and a symbol of terrorism”, and urged the “accelerated” implementation of a demolition order for his grave in the municipality of Nesher, near Haifa.
“The problem is clear, it hinders the development of the city and harms it,” Ben-Gvir said. “We must remove this disgrace, contribute to the security and prosperity of the city, and send a clear message: Terrorists, murderers, and major saboteurs, even after their death, will not enjoy peace.”
Izz al-Din al-Qassam fought against French colonial rule before becoming a prominent preacher in Haifa and an organiser of armed resistance against British rule and Zionist land acquisition.
He was killed by British forces in 1935 near Jenin, and grew into a symbol of anti-colonial struggle. Hamas named its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in his honour.
Palestinian prisoners’ group warns of worsening health crisis in Israeli jails
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) says the vast majority of detainees visited by legal teams between late July and early August are suffering from health problems, many of them chronic and serious, amid the continued spread of scabies, which has infected thousands of prisoners in recent months.
The group accused Israeli prison authorities of deliberately creating conditions that strip prisoners of their humanity, inflict lasting illnesses, and lead to physical and psychological exhaustion, warning of a “continuing and escalating health catastrophe”.
It documented three main patterns of abuse: torture, starvation, and denial of medical care, noting that 76 prisoners have died since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza – the deadliest period in the history of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement.
It reported a total of about 10,800 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons as of August 2025, the highest number since the second Intifada. The figure includes 49 women, more than 450 children, and 3,613 administrative detainees who are being held without charge or trial.
