Israeli National Security Minister publishes AI-generated video depicting Palestinians in prison
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published an AI-generated video on August 31, 2026 depicting Palestinian detainees undergoing degradation in prison conditions as part of his electoral campaign. The video, which showed synthetic imagery of detainees transformed from overweight to emaciated, was subsequently removed after publication and drew criticism for resembling depictions of Nazi concentration camps.
What happened
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published an AI-generated video on August 31, 2026, as part of his electoral campaign for the Israeli Parliament. The video depicts Palestinian detainees celebrating a sentence before imagining receiving prison benefits such as food, sweets and cigarettes, which Ben-Gvir then removes by pressing a button. The detainees are then shown on a conveyor belt entering overweight and emerging thin, distressed and crying.
Reported impact
Critics compared the prison imagery in the video to a Nazi concentration camp. The video was subsequently deleted after publication.
Index analysis
The video was created using artificial intelligence to synthetically depict Palestinians in conditions resembling those that human rights organizations have documented. According to B'Tselem, the Israeli government operates 'a network of torture camps' in its prison system with reports of sexual abuse and other humiliations. In 2025, Israel's Supreme Court concluded that prisoners were not receiving adequate food and ordered the government to improve nutritional conditions for detainees, stating the State has an obligation to ensure 'the basic level of existence' for prisoners.
Governance controls
Ben-Gvir is subject to sanctions from the United Kingdom, Canada and France.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.