According to the video and reports published by EL PAÍS English, the facility features an initial wooden-and-iron structure under a blue tarp at an unidentified location, reportedly close to a prison.
National Security Minister Posts Video of Gallows Construction
In the video, Ben-Gvir is seen pointing at foundations being laid while boasting about the project. I promised to worsen the conditions of terrorists in prisons – we kept it,
Ben-Gvir said in the recording. I promised to pass the Death Penalty for Terrorists law – we did. And now the death row and hanging facility are also starting to take shape.
The execution site will include viewing booths and visitor permits for families of victims to watch the hangings, a feature Ben-Gvir stated was customary in other countries such as the United States. Israeli media photographs showed a bulldozer and heavy construction work in a cordoned-off area near the site.
Legal Framework and Application of the Death Penalty
The construction of the hanging facility follows the passage of a new law earlier in the year. The Israeli Parliament, or Knesset, approved the legislation in late March after it was sponsored by Ben-Gvir’s party. The measure requires military courts in the West Bank to apply the death penalty as the only available sentence for Palestinians found guilty of lethal attacks deemed acts of terrorism, unless the court finds special circumstances allowing for life imprisonment. Executions under the law must be carried out within 90 days of sentencing.
The law applies exclusively to Palestinians tried in the military courts system. Jewish Israelis are protected from the legislation due to a provision restricting the law to murders committed with the intent to deny the existence of the state of Israel,
meaning Jewish extremists accused of similar crimes will not be hanged.
Ben-Gvir has a criminal record that includes convictions for incitement to racism, interfering with a police officer performing his duty, and support for a terrorist organization, specifically Meir Kahane’s banned Kach movement. He has served as Israel’s national security minister since 2022, apart from a two-month gap in the previous year.
Prison Conditions and Recent Podcast Interview
As national security minister, Ben-Gvir oversees Israel’s Prison Service and has consistently pushed for harsher conditions for Palestinian detainees. Since October 7, 2023, at least 104 detainees have died in Israeli custody, with NGOs such as Physicians for Human Rights–Israel reporting that many of these deaths appear to result from torture, medical negligence, and food deprivation. Rights groups estimate that more than 9,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli detention facilities.
The gallows video announcement followed an appearance by Ben-Gvir on the debut episode of a podcast titled October 8, hosted by Rom Braslavski, a former Israeli soldier released from captivity in Gaza in October 2025. During the interview, Braslavski asked the minister for permission to personally execute Palestinian prisoners. I don’t want a rope,
Braslavski said. With my own hands I will execute every terrorist in the State of Israel.
Ben-Gvir responded positively, stating he would try and turn the world upside down to make this happen
and describing Braslavski as the right person to execute prisoners one by one.
Wider International Condemnation and Sanctions
The video and recent statements by Ben-Gvir have triggered sharp international backlash. Days prior to the video’s release, Ben-Gvir advocated for a policy of punitive killings in Gaza, stating on a podcast, I think we should be doing 30 to 40 targeted assassinations per night… Not just those who pose an immediate threat. There are people there who don’t deserve to live … They are not even people.
Foreign leaders condemned the remarks. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the comments unacceptable and inhuman. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated he strongly condemned the inhumane appeals, noting they violate international law. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the remarks as appalling, outrageous, dehumanizing, and dangerous.
Ben-Gvir has previously become the subject of international sanctions imposed by the UK, France, and Ireland over his policies and statements concerning Palestinians.
