What the video shows
Standing alongside masked guards, Ben Gvir addresses Salameh directly. He recalls protesting as a teenager after the attacks on Jerusalem’s Route 18 buses and describes the prison conditions he says his policies have imposed. His remarks express his political position; the video does not announce a new court ruling or a change to Salameh’s sentence.
https://x.com/itamarbengvir/status/2104284928095682808
Salameh’s role in the 1996 attacks
Salameh was a senior Hamas operative arrested in 1996 and convicted over his role in a series of suicide bombings. Two attacks on Route 18 buses in Jerusalem, on February 25 and March 3, killed 45 people. Soldier Hofit Aish was killed in another bombing at Ashkelon Junction on February 25, which was also linked to him. Salameh is serving multiple life sentences. Reports disagree on the precise number: AP and The Jerusalem Post say 46, while other accounts say 48.
Can the death penalty be applied to his case?
Israel’s parliament passed a law in March 2026 allowing the death penalty in certain terrorism cases. The Jerusalem Post reports that harsher penalties cannot be imposed retroactively, so the law does not apply to Salameh’s offenses from 1996. The video itself does not alter his legal status. Hamas condemned Ben Gvir’s comments and said they would not intimidate its members or Palestinian prisoners.
