On 11–12 December 2025, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir oversaw and publicized a raid on the gravesite of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam — a pre-1948 Arab nationalist and resistance leader — located in an Islamic cemetery in the Nesher/Haifa area. Israeli police and land authority inspectors dismantled an "unauthorized tent", signs, and surveillance equipment erected by the Islamic waqf near the gravesite.

A large numbers of Israeli police dismantled the tent at the al-Qassam tomb despite adverse weather conditions. officers also removed a historical sign marking the tomb and a solar-powered unit, citing a demolition order.

Ben Gvir posted video and statements on social media highlighting this action as a “first step” toward what he has long called for: the removal or demolition of the grave itself.

Ben Gvir has repeatedly called for the grave’s demolition, framing it as part of asserting “sovereignty” and erasing what he terms “incitement”. He has publicly said the gravesite “must be removed” and described the operation on the cemetery as a first step toward that goal.

A reason given is that "The Gaza-based Hamas terrorist group later named its armed wing, as well as its rockets, after" Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam.

Yitzhak Kroizer statement on Augustus 5:

Newly appointed committee chairman of Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party scheduled the hearing on the grave’s removal as the first discussion of his new term: “We must remove the disgrace and moral stain that the father of terrorism, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, is buried on state land. Therefore, I will hold the first hearing in the Interior Committee on the removal of the grave of the arch-terrorist,” (...) “Our demand is to move his grave or use it as a bargaining chip in negotiations to return the kidnapped. Alternatively, he will be buried in a cemetery for terrorists,”

Historical context

Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was a Syrian-born leader of armed resistance against British colonial rule and early Zionist settlement in Mandatory Palestine in the 1930s. He was killed by British forces in 1935 and buried in what was then the Arab village of Balad al-Sheikh. That village was depopulated in 1948 during the Nakba, and its lands are now within the Israeli city of Nesher near Haifa. The cemetery where his grave lies is part of that historic site.

Response of the Nesher municipality on August 12, 2025:

"Nesher municipality Mayor's office in honor of: Minister of Internal Security Mr. Itamar Ben-Gvir ibengvir@knesset.gov.il via email

Subject: Request to remove the grave of Izz ad-Din al-Qasim from the shrine and dismantle the tent erected there

Honorable Minister, Hello, Father, abbot

Following the debate held today in the Knesset and in the spirit of your words as Minister of Public Security, I would like to request that an immediate date be set for the evacuation of the grave of the arch-terrorist Izz ad-Din al-Qassem and the dismantling of the tent erected around him.

To avoid any doubt - the land on which the grave is located is owned by the state (Israel Land Administration) and does not belong to the Nesher Municipality.

I would like to receive the date of implementation, so that we can coordinate with the developer on the adjacent land the construction of the separation fence between the cemetery and its area, in accordance with the ruling given on the subject, and thus assist in the development of the city of Nesher.

I am confident that you will act decisively and quickly, so that the discussion will not remain on paper, but will be translated into actions on the ground immediately.

greetings,

Roy Levy mayor

Copies: Chairman of the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee, Hayek Yitzhak Kreuzer vkroyzer@knesset.gov.il Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Haik Limor Sun Har-Malech, Isun.har@knesset.gov.il"

Palestinian statements:

Palestinian and Islamist groups — including Hamas — condemned Ben Gvir’s actions and threats, calling them desecration of a sacred site and an attempt to erase Palestinian historical memory. They describe the cemetery and the grave as historic and symbolic of resistance predating 1948.

The Loyalty and Reform Party statement:

The party warned that Israeli institutions were working in concert to erase what remains of the cemetery. It noted that some Israeli politicians had openly threatened to remove al-Qassam’s grave, where he was buried before the 1948 Nakba after being killed during the Palestinian struggle against British colonial rule. The party condemned the actions as part of a broader campaign targeting Arab and Palestinian heritage sites, calling for a unified response to what it described as an escalating assault on Islamic and Palestinian landmarks.