Israel’s Ben Gvir Marks 50th Birthday with Gallows Cake from Wife
Reflecto News | Breaking News | Israeli Politics
JERUSALEM — Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir celebrated his 50th birthday on Thursday with a custom cake from his wife, Ayala Ben Gvir, featuring a decoration of a gallows — a pointed reference to his long-standing call for the execution of Palestinian prisoners.
The cake, which quickly went viral on social media, bore the words in Hebrew: “To life! With love, Ayala.” The gallows imagery is a clear nod to the minister’s repeated advocacy for applying the death penalty to Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis .
Ben Gvir, a former far-right activist and lawyer, has spent decades advocating for more punitive measures against Palestinian detainees. Since becoming National Security Minister in 2025, he has overseen a broad expansion of administrative detention and has pushed for the demolition of families’ homes and for the legal system to expedite executions .
He has also promoted the death penalty for anyone convicted of “terrorist” acts, saying it would serve as a deterrent and deliver justice to victims’ families.
Ayala Ben Gvir: Minister’s Wife at the Center of the Storm
Ayala Ben Gvir has emerged as a political figure in her own right. For years, she has spoken at rallies and posted on social media in support of her husband’s agenda .
She has defended her husband’s calls to execute prisoners, writing on social media: “We cannot wait for the next murder to prove what we already know—that only a death penalty will deter” .
The cake incident is not the first time Ayala Ben Gvir has courted controversy. In 2025, she reportedly told an interviewer that she hopes her grandchildren will see the expansion of “Jewish sovereignty” in the West Bank as a step toward “full redemption.”
Political Reactions: ‘This Is Not a Normal Minister’
Opposition politicians and human rights advocates quickly condemned the birthday cake.
Yair Lapid, opposition leader and former prime minister, wrote on X: “A minister celebrating his birthday with a gallows cake—this is not normal. This is not what Israeli patriotism looks like.”
Merav Michaeli, leader of the Labor Party, said: “A cake with a gallows from the minister’s wife is not a joke. It shows a dangerous mindset that has no place in the cabinet.”
Human rights groups noted that the minister’s open advocacy for executions would likely violate international law, which restricts the death penalty to “the most serious crimes” and prohibits its use in cases where due process is compromised.
The European Union ambassador to Israel also expressed “deep concern” over the normalization of such imagery by a sitting minister.
Ben Gvir’s Defense: ‘It’s Just a Cake’
Ben Gvir brushed off the criticism, posting a photo of the cake and saying “it’s just a cake, nothing more.” He added that his wife had made the cake as a “joke about my tough stands on security.”
The minister’s office did not respond to requests for further comment. Meanwhile, social media users in Israel and abroad continued to circulate images of the cake, with many questioning the propriety of a top security official publicizing such imagery.
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