German leaders demand EU sanctions on Ben-Gvir over Gaza killings call
German politicians across party lines and Jewish community leaders called on 18 August 2026 for EU sanctions and entry bans against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after he advocated targeted nightly killings in Gaza.
Ben-Gvir comments spark condemnation
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir prompted broad political backlash following statements made during a podcast with Rom Braslavski, a former hostage captured during the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. In the recording, Ben-Gvir advocated conducting targeted eliminations of 30 to 40 people every night in the Gaza Strip. He stated that these actions should not be restricted to individuals posing an immediate danger, asserting that certain people in the territory do not deserve to live and are not human. Ben-Gvir oversees the police and correctional services in Israel, where he has previously implemented stricter detention conditions for Palestinian prisoners.
German cabinet and coalition push for EU action
German government figures responded on 18 August 2026 with calls for concrete diplomatic and legal measures. Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil described the remarks as misanthropic during an interview on Sat.1, stating that a boundary had been crossed and urging European partners to review sanctions against the minister. Green Party leader Franziska Brantner asked Berlin to bar Ben-Gvir from entering Germany and seek collective European measures.
I call on the federal government to impose an entry ban on this man and to work towards having similar sanctions imposed at the European level.
Brantner noted that several European nations, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy, and Belgium, had already enacted entry bans or individual sanctions against Ben-Gvir. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has also begun examining European sanctions, marking a change from Berlin's earlier reluctance to approve European Union penalties against Israeli cabinet members.
- Hamas attacks Israel and takes hostages including Rom Braslavski
- Ben-Gvir calls for nightly targeted eliminations in Gaza during a podcast with Braslavski
- German political leaders and Jewish organisations demand EU sanctions and entry bans
Cross-party backing in Berlin and Brussels
Pressure on the federal government widened across both houses of parliament and within the European Parliament. CDU foreign affairs politician Norbert Röttgen told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that personal EU sanctions against Ben-Gvir were overdue, arguing that Berlin must adopt a more differentiated policy toward Israel. CDU foreign affairs spokesperson Jürgen Hardt also called on the EU to sanction Ben-Gvir, adding that an Israeli cabinet without far-right ministers would bring Europe and Israel closer together. In the European Parliament, CDU delegation leader Hildegard Bentele supported targeted individual penalties, while Green MEP Hannah Neumann called for an end to German resistance in the European Council.
These are statements that we as the federal government cannot accept in any way. That must also have consequences.
Rejection by Jewish community leaders
Jewish communal organizations in Germany and Austria publicly separated their institutions from Ben-Gvir's statements. Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, criticized the minister on 18 August 2026, stating that the rhetoric contradicts Jewish ethical principles and harms Israel's international standing.
The behaviour of Itamar Ben-Gvir is deeply shameful and irresponsible. It illustrates the danger posed by right-wing radical forces.
In Austria, the president of the Jewish Community for Salzburg, Styria, and Carinthia, Rosen, described Ben-Gvir as a disgrace to the Jewish people and the state of Israel, urging the Israeli government to dismiss him from the cabinet.
