Eight Palestinian prisoners sent to solitary confinement over a cake marking Ben-Gvir's possible departure

Punishment for a cake

Eight Palestinian prisoners have been placed in solitary confinement after they baked a cake to mark the possible departure of Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from the government. The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported this on Sunday, as relayed by the Anadolu agency. According to the outlet, prisoners at Lavi Prison had set aside part of their food for several days to prepare the cake, hoping that the October 27 elections would end Ben-Gvir's tenure. When prison staff discovered the cake in the cell, the administration ordered disciplinary proceedings against the eight prisoners and sent them to solitary cells.

Context and the minister's fate

Ben-Gvir, whose ministry oversees the Israel Prison Service, has tightened restrictions on Palestinian prisoners, including reducing food rations and prison amenities. Whether he remains in his post depends on the election results and coalition negotiations involving his party, Jewish Power. Palestinian human rights organizations, as Anadolu notes, accuse the Israeli authorities of systematic abuse of prisoners, including torture, starvation, solitary confinement, and denial of medical care. According to the publication, the Israeli authorities themselves do not comment on these accusations; the details reported by Israel Hayom are based on a single source, and there is no independent confirmation yet.

Why it matters

The incident shows how Israel's domestic politics are reflected in the conditions of Palestinian prisoners: according to Israel Hayom, the punishment came precisely because of a symbol tied to the possible resignation of the minister who oversees the prison system. For prisoners' families and human rights advocates, this is another argument in the dispute over detention conditions, which, judging by the publication, is unfolding against the backdrop of tightened food rations and amenities. In practical terms, the fate of the eight prisoners in solitary and further policy toward prisoners will depend directly on the outcome of the October 27 elections and coalition negotiations.