Hassan Salameh’s fiancée fears he may have been assaulted after Ben-Gvir’s death threat

Ghufran Zamel, a released Palestinian prisoner and the fiancée of prisoner Hassan Salameh, said she fears he may have been assaulted after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed threatening him with death inside his prison cell.

Speaking exclusively to Quds Press, Zamel described seeing Salameh confronted by Ben-Gvir as “deeply painful” and expressed concern about what may have happened to him after the cameras stopped recording.

“It was emotionally agonizing to see Hassan in that situation, facing a reckless minister who was trying to threaten him,” she said.

Zamel said Salameh is subjected to abuse, torture and deprivation of food in prison, explaining that his physical appearance in the footage reflected the conditions in which he is being held. “This was evident in his emaciated frame, and he appeared visibly exhausted and worn out,” she said.

At the same time, she said Salameh remained resilient despite nearly three decades of imprisonment and extended periods in solitary confinement. She described him as “strong, patient, steadfast and unyielding.”

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Zamel characterized Ben-Gvir’s confrontation with Salameh as an electoral “stunt,” accusing the minister of using prisons as a platform to project strength while surrounded by armed personnel in front of restrained prisoners.

“This was not the first time for Ben-Gvir,” she said, referring to previous videos involving Palestinian prisoners. She said the latest case was particularly concerning because Ben-Gvir himself published footage containing an explicit death threat.

The video, published by Ben-Gvir on Sunday, shows the Israeli minister confronting Salameh in his cell and telling him that he wanted him killed and executed. Ben-Gvir said the footage had been recorded about two weeks earlier.

Zamel said her main concern was what may have happened after the recording ended.

“What worries me about this scene is what came next: what happened off-camera? Was Hassan assaulted? Did they abuse him?” she said. “That is what I await knowing with great dread.”

She called for a visit to Salameh to be arranged so that his condition could be checked following the confrontation.

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