Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir posted an AI-generated TikTok video declaring he 'dreams' of nooses, celebrating a law that mandates death by hanging exclusively forPalestinian detainees.
The video, which co-opted a viral social media audio trend, arrived just two days after Ben Gvir's 50th birthday party, where his wife presented him with a cake topped with a golden noose and the inscription 'Congratulations Minister Ben Gvir, sometimes dreams come true.'
Ben Gvir posted the video to his TikTok account on 4 May 2026, using the viral 'I know I should sleep, but the voices in my head go...' audio trend as its soundtrack. The footage consists entirely ofAI-generated imagery: everyday objects, rendered in artificial detail, morphed into the shapes of gallows and hanging ropes.
אני חולם על עונש מ!!ת למח.בלים, על מה אתם חולמים?#foryou#פוריו#בןגביר#itamarbengvir
Text overlaid on the video declared that he dreams of the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, using slang in Hebrew that translates directly to 'I am dying to execute the terrorists.' The clip spread rapidly across platforms, with commenters across the political spectrum expressing disbelief that a sitting government minister had produced and published such content.
Arab Knesset memberAhmad Tibi respondeddirectly, stating that Ben Gvir and his wife 'need a psychiatrist immediately,' adding: 'Usually, people wish for a better future and love with a birthday cake, but these people sanctify hatred and death.' Social media reactions ranged from accusations of incitement to calls for international legal accountability. One widely shared post read: 'This is not normal behaviour; who dreams of killing people.'
The TikTok did not arrive without context. Just weeks earlier, on 18 March 2026, Ben Gvir hadposted a separate, now deleted, videoto X, standing in front of a visible gallows to deny rumours of his death, stating in Hebrew: 'I am dead with longing to execute the terrorists. Death penalty for terrorists now!'
Hamas described that postas 'public incitement to killing' and warned of repercussions, calling Ben Gvir's repeated glorification of execution 'an extremist mentality' and demanding urgent international action to protect Palestinian detainees from what it called a policy of state killing.
On the evening of 2 May 2026, Ben Gvir held his 50thbirthday celebrationat Villa Space in Moshav Emunim, southern Israel. The centrepiece was a three-tiered cake bearing Ben Gvir's portrait, a map of Greater Israel, two guns, and a golden noose. His wife, Ayala, presented him with a second, smaller cake also decorated with a hanging noose, inscribed with the words: 'Congratulations Minister Ben Gvir, sometimes dreams come true.' Photographs and video from the event showed Ben Gvir smiling at both cakes.
תודה לראש הממשלה על הברכות החמות, ותודה לכל מי שלקח חלק ביום ההולדת שלי. נמשיך לפעול למען עם ישראל וארץ ישראל 🇮🇱
Source: International Business Times UK
