This came in a statement made by Ben-Gvir during a hearing before the Israeli Knesset's Interior Committee on Tuesday, according to a report published by the Knesset Channel on the American platform X.
Speaking during the session, Ben-Gvir addressed the mayor of Nesher, saying, "I have issued an order to demolish the grave of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, and the police will carry out the demolition and secure it." The extremist minister added, "Terrorists cannot rest easy, even in death," referring to al-Qassam and the location of his grave.
The grave of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam has been located since 1935 in the cemetery of the town of al-Sheikh, the historical name for the area, now known as the Nesher Cemetery in the Haifa district. This grave is a historical landmark in the town and is associated with a prominent figure in Palestinian and Islamic history.
This is not the first time Israeli officials have called for the demolition or removal of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam's grave. Knesset member Yitzhak Crozer of the Jewish Power party, headed by Ben-Gvir, renewed his call for the grave's removal on August 6.
"The Knesset Interior Committee will discuss moving the grave from the town of Nesher next week," Crozer told Israel's Channel 14 at the time.
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Crozier visited the grave site last July and called for immediate action to remove it, stating that "the grave should not be a shrine for supporters of terrorism."
It is noteworthy that Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, who was born in 1883 in the town of Jableh on the Syrian coast, is a prominent figure in Islamic and Palestinian history, a scholar, preacher, and armed resistance leader.
Al-Qassam led a resistance movement against the French occupation of Syria and the British occupation of Palestine in the early twentieth century. He was martyred in 1935 during a battle with British forces near the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank. His death had a significant impact on the outbreak of the Great Palestinian Revolt of 1936.
In honor of his name and his life and struggle against colonialism, the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" in Palestine named its military wing "The Martyr Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades" to commemorate his memory and his role in resisting the occupation.
