Israeli soldiers have posted photos and videos of themselves playing with underwear found in Palestinian homes, sparking a huge uproar among the military. Their gesture creates a dissonant image of the war in Gaza, where the imminent famine is intensifying the worldwide re-examination of the Israeli offensive, reports Reuters, according to News.ro.
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In one video, an Israeli soldier sits in an armchair in a room in Gaza, grinning, a gun in one hand, while in the other hand he dangles over the open mouth of a comrade lying on a couch a white satin underwear piece.
In another recording, another soldier is perched on top of a tank holding a female mannequin dressed in a black bra and wearing a helmet. The soldier says: “I found a beautiful wife, a serious relationship in Gaza, a wonderful woman.”
There are dozens of such photos and videos on social media in which Gazan troops appear displaying underwear, mannequins and, in some cases, both.
The underwear images have been viewed tens of thousands of times – nearly half a million in one case – after they were posted by Younis Tirawi, who describes himself as a Palestinian reporter.
Approached about the images he redistributed to his more than 100,000 followers on the X network between February 23 and March 1, Tirawi provided links to the original posts by IDF soldiers. Reuters states that it then independently verified eight of them, posted on Instagram or YouTube.
The authenticated posts include a photo of a soldier holding a naked female mannequin from behind with his hands on her breasts, and one of a soldier handling a half-naked doll.
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Another photo shows a soldier posing with his gun, giving a thumbs-up gesture, in front of a double bed strewn with packages of women’s underwear.
IDF and UN reaction
“The posting of such images is degrading to Palestinian women and to all women,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office.
Reuters sent details of the eight verified posts on YouTube or Instagram to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), requesting a comment, according to News.ro.
In response, a spokesman sent a statement saying that the IDF investigates incidents that deviate from the orders and values that IDF soldiers are expected to uphold.
“In cases where there are suspicions of criminal offenses that justify the opening of an investigation, the investigation is opened by the Military Police”, she stated.
“It must be clarified that, in some of the examined cases, the conclusion is reached that the expression or behavior of the soldiers in the video is inappropriate, and it is treated accordingly,” the statement added.
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The IDF declined to say whether it was referring to any of the images highlighted by Reuters or whether any of the soldiers responsible had been disciplined.
Israeli soldiers whom Reuters was able to identify did not respond to requests for comment sent through their social media accounts.
YouTube said it had removed a video reported by Reuters for violating the platform’s harassment policies, which prohibit content that reveals someone’s personally identifiable information. Instagram has not commented.
Abuses on both sides
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza was launched in response to an attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which the militants killed around 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, according to Israel.
The online posts come at a time when both Hamas and Israel are being accused of serious war crimes.
A team of UN experts said in a report this month that there are reasonable grounds to believe that sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, took place in several places during the October 7 attack by Hamas. The experts also said there is compelling information that some Israeli hostages taken in Gaza have been subjected to sexual violence that may still be ongoing.
For its part, Israel is accused of pushing Gaza towards starvation. In addition, the UN team of experts also said in its recent report that it received information from institutional and civil society sources and had direct discussions in the West Bank about sexual violence committed by the IDF against Palestinians.
Both sides deny allegations of sexual violence.
What the laws of war say
The lingerie and mannequin posts do not compare in severity to the alleged crimes against women reported since October 7. However, two legal experts said that they could violate international law.
Ardi Imseis, an assistant professor of law at Queen’s University in Canada, said the posts violated Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which regulates the treatment of civilians in wartime.
Article 27 says that civilians have the right to respect for honor, family rights, manners and customs and must be protected against insults and public curiosity, and women must be protected in particular against any attack on their honor.
In Israel, the underwear posts have attracted little attention, said Oren Persico of Seventh Eye, a website that covers Israeli media. Instead, he said, posts showing weapons or Hamas flags said to have been found in homes in Gaza circulated widely.
And last December, several videos circulated online, which were analyzed by CNN, showing Israeli soldiers in Gaza behaving aggressively and disrespectfully towards the civilian population, while other footage showed soldiers looting homes individuals, destroy civilian property and use racist and hateful language.
Publisher: BP
Tags: Scandal Israeli army images appeared soldiers playing underwear women Gaza
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