Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has posted a controversial TikTok video in which he declares he “dreams” of nooses, co-opting the viral “I know I should sleep, but the voices in my head go…” trend to glorify the recently passed death penalty law.
The video posted on 4 May features a montage of AI-generated images of everyday items, shaped like gallows and execution ropes, set to the trend’s audio.
Ben-Gvir has long pushed for the introduction of the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, a measure that was ultimately approved by the Knesset in its second and third readings on 30 March, passing by a 62-48 vote.
Human rights organisations and experts have condemned the law as discriminatory and racist.
The video drew backlash online, with many users calling him “sickening” and “morally rotten”.
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On X, one person described the post as a window into an eliminationist ideology: “Ben‑Gvir’s disturbing obsession with executing Palestinians reveals the genocidal mindset of the Israeli occupation.”
“Ben‑Gvir is not an outlier; he represents the majority — and the genocide in Gaza is enough evidence,” the X user added.
Another person on Instagram wrote, “Never have I seen such unashamed evil.”
‘Sadistic’
Another response reframed the video against the backdrop of humanitarian flotillas attempting to break the Gaza blockade: “Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben‑Gvir, posted this Artificial Intelligence video. It’s him, dreaming of various forces that would be used to execute the Palestinians. But the criminals are the members of the flotilla, who bring food to the children.”
The video struck many as so “sadistic” that social media users invoked the possibility of future accountability. “When eventually Ben‑Gvir is caught up on his war crimes and tried, don’t nobody tell me he shouldn’t get the noose,” read another post.
Another person said the video “reflects the scale of extremism and criminality”.
Other commenters went further, questioning the minister’s psychological state. “Psychopath he is. Nothing but a psychopath,” one wrote, while another starkly declared: “This is not normal behaviour; who dreams of killing people. He really is worse than a Nazi.”
The post comes just days after the ultranationalist minister celebrated his 50th birthday with a multi‑tiered cake topped with a golden noose, and the message “Congratulations Minister Ben-Gvir, sometimes dreams come true”. The party drew condemnation and backlash on social media.
A smaller cake, presented by Ben‑Gvir’s wife Ayala, also bore the same message. Photographs and videos from the event showed the minister smiling.
The Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi reacted to the ministry‑level glorification of executions, saying 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.”
The “dream” that Ben‑Gvir keeps bragging about is one that human‑rights organisations warn will lead to state‑sanctioned executions of prisoners already held under conditions of torture, starvation, and medical neglect.
More than 9,600 Palestinians are currently in Israeli custody, according to the prisoners’ rights group, Addameer.
