National Security Minister Ben-Gvir Meets Hamas Terrorist in Prison

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Hamas commander Hassan Salameh in prison, a key figure behind the 1996 suicide bombing wave. Ben-Gvir told Salameh that for him, this meeting represented a "full circle" and that he intends to work towards Salameh's execution.

Salameh was convicted for his role in a series of deadly suicide attacks in 1996 that killed dozens of Israelis. He was a senior member of Hamas's military wing and a planner of two devastating bus bombings on Route 18 in Jerusalem, which occurred a week apart in February and March 1996. These attacks alone killed 44 people and injured dozens more. Salameh was also involved in planning other attacks, including one at the Ashkelon junction.

Following the assassination of Yahya Ayyash in January 1996, Salameh was tasked by Mohammed Deif to advance revenge attacks against Israel. Salameh had previously been exiled to Lebanon, where he received military training, including in explosives. He was apprehended by Israeli forces near Hebron in May 1996, shot, wounded, arrested, and subsequently sentenced to 46 consecutive life sentences plus 20 years.

Despite his imprisonment, Salameh remains a prominent figure in Hamas. In 2023, a book he wrote from prison, titled "The Buses Go Up in Flames," was launched in Gaza. The book details the attacks carried out in revenge for Ayyash's assassination and was launched at an event attended by senior Hamas officials.