Israel’s Controversial National Security Minister Ben Gvir In Serious Car Accident

There have been emerging reports Friday that Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir has been hospitalized after a serious car accident.

Regional media outlet The Cradle writes that “Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir has been hospitalized after his car overturned in Ramla while leaving the scene of a stabbing attack.”

Video of the flipped car of Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, circulating on Israeli telegram channels pic.twitter.com/SjPV1muqgE

— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) April 26, 2024

Axios correspondent Barak Ravid also confirms that the cabinet minister was in a government car which was in an accident and flipped over.

Ben Gvir has reportedly been injured, and images and footage from the scene shows what appears to be a very serious accident. Unconfirmed reports say that “According to Israeli media, his car had run a red light before the accident.”

The incident comes as the country is deeply divided over the Netanyahu government’s Gaza policy. Ben Gvir is considered among the most ‘extreme’ ministers in the governing coalition, also having ties with internationally sanctioned settler movements which engage in attempts to cleanse West Bank areas of any Palestinian presence.

Israeli media is already spotlighting controversial elements surrounding Ben Gvir and the Friday car crash, with Haaretz reporting the national security minister’s driving habits have been flagged as dangerous. According to machine translation of the Hebrew report:

The Shin Bet contacted the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of National Security following several cases in which Minister Itamar Ben Gabir’s car was driven in violation of traffic laws, Haaretz learned.

According to security sources, the minister’s security guards complained to their superiors in the ministry that the minister was ordering his drivers to commit offenses. Traffic, including passing a red light at traffic lights, driving at excessive speed and driving on the side of the road.

Images from the scene show that Ben Gvir’s injuries might be quite serious (though some reports suggest only minor injuries)…

Earlier this month Ben Gvir stirred more controversy when he deeply criticized Netanyahu’s ‘limited’ retaliatory attack on Iran, calling it ‘lame’ and implying that the response was weak and should have been much bigger and stronger.

Currently there is a lot of reported infighting even among the top decision-makers on Gaza wartime policy. The Wall Street Journal recently featured a headline that underscored Israel’s war leaders don’t trust one another. This comes as they are dealing simultaneously with the operation in Gaza, repelling Hezbollah daily drone and missile attacks in the north, and of course the new tit-for-tat crisis with Iran.

Pro-Palestine pundits took to social media and immediately began speculating over the apparent serious car accident…

The Americans tried to off Ben Gvir today 😂 https://t.co/6zHNcsvexw

— Sharmine Narwani (@snarwani) April 26, 2024

“Long-simmering grudges and arguments over how best to fight Hamas have soured relations between Israel’s wartime decision makers—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the former head of the Israeli military, Benny Gantz,” the publication wrote. 

Amid contrasting reports, public broadcaster Kann news says the minister was “lightly injured” in the accident.

#BREAKING: Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir was injured in a car accident, he was taken to hospital after he was lightly injured pic.twitter.com/99FmEwQbKF

— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) April 26, 2024

“The three men are at odds over the biggest decisions they need to make: how to launch a decisive military push, free Israel’s hostages and govern the postwar strip.”

⚡️The moment Ben Gvir got into the accident pic.twitter.com/uxF3OVgzhn

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) April 26, 2024