This morning, at exactly 6:29 AM — the time the October 7 attack began three years ago — the Israeli Prison Service carried out a large-scale operation inside Palestinian prisoners’ wings and cells across five security prisons. According to the Prison Service’s official account, the operation was aimed at conducting searches, confiscating prohibited items, and preventing potential disturbances.
But Itamar Ben-Gvir left little room to separate the operation from its political symbolism.
He posted footage of the operation on his Telegram channel, accompanied by the words:
“We will not forget and we will not forgive.”
Choosing exactly 6:29 AM, and then presenting the raids on prisoners’ sections in such language, makes the scene look less like a routine security procedure and more like a message of retaliation directed at people who are already behind bars and under the complete control of the state.
A prisoner — and especially a Palestinian prisoner — does not lose his humanity or his basic rights once the cell door closes behind him, regardless of the charges against him. United Nations standards for the treatment of prisoners state that searches must be necessary and proportionate and must be conducted with respect for human dignity and privacy — not turned into a tool of humiliation or symbolic punishment.
Authorities have the right to search for weapons or prohibited materials when there are genuine security grounds. But using prisoners as part of a retaliatory ritual marking a political or military anniversary is something entirely different.
Anger over the events of October 7 does not give any government a blank check to humiliate or mistreat prisoners. Justice is not revenge, and prisons are not places for collective score-settling.
More troubling still, Ben-Gvir has previously publicly celebrated prison crackdowns. In February 2025, footage emerged showing prisoners being forced to kneel during raids on their cells, prompting widespread criticism from human-rights groups over their treatment.
“We will not forget and we will not forgive” may be a political slogan, but human rights do not operate according to the logic of vengeance. Anyone who is completely under the authority of the state must be protected from humiliation, torture, and cruel treatment — not turned into material for a political spectacle in front of cameras.