Israeli Minister Posts AI TikTok Video Dreaming of 'Nooses' for Palestinians

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, of the far-right faction, posted a controversial TikTok video on May 4. The video uses the trending audio 'I know I should sleep, but the voices in my head go…' to boast about a newly passed death penalty law.

The clip features AI-generated imagery that turns everyday objects into gallows and nooses, set to the TikTok trend's soundtrack.

Ben-Gvir has long pushed for applying the death penalty to Palestinian prisoners. The measure passed the Israeli parliament (Knesset) in its second and third readings on March 30 with a 62–48 vote.

Human rights organizations and experts have condemned the law as discriminatory and racist.

The video quickly drew a wave of criticism on social media. Many called Ben-Gvir 'disgusting' and 'morally bankrupt'.

On X, one user described the post as a window into a genocide ideology: 'Ben-Gvir's disturbing obsession with executing Palestinians shows the genocidal mindset of the Israeli occupation regime.' The user added, 'Ben-Gvir is not an exception; he represents the majority — and the genocide in Gaza is evidence enough.'

An Instagram user wrote: 'I have never seen evil so blatant.'

Another response placed the video in the context of humanitarian flotillas trying to break the Gaza blockade: 'Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted this AI video. He dreams of instruments for executing Palestinians. But the criminals are those on the flotilla, bringing food to children.'

Many found the video so 'brutal' that it invoked the possibility of future accountability. One post read: 'When Ben-Gvir is arrested for war crimes and put on trial, let no one say he doesn't deserve to hang.' Another said the video 'shows the level of extremism and criminality.'

Some comments went further, questioning the minister's psychological state. 'He is a psychopath. Nothing less than a psychopath,' wrote one person. Another declared: 'This is not normal behavior; who dreams of killing people. He is worse than the German Nazis.'

The video was posted just days after Ben-Gvir celebrated his 50th birthday with a multi-tiered cake topped with a gold-plated noose and the phrase 'Happy Birthday Minister Ben-Gvir, sometimes dreams come true.' The party also drew condemnation. A smaller cake from his wife, Ayala, bore a similar message. Photos and videos from the event showed the minister smiling.

Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi reacted to the minister's glorification of executions, saying Ben-Gvir and his wife 'need to see a psychiatrist immediately,' adding: 'Usually, people wish for a good future and love with birthday cakes, but these people worship hatred and death.'

The dream Ben-Gvir constantly boasts about is one that human rights groups warn will lead to state-backed executions of prisoners already held under conditions of torture, starvation, and lack of medical care. According to the prisoner rights organization Addameer, more than 9,600 Palestinians are currently detained in Israel.