Virulent videos and images of Israeli soldiers acting in a humiliating manner in Gaza have emerged in recent days, as military forces face international criticism for their tactics and the high number of civilian casualties in their brutal war on the enclave.
Criminalizing Palestinians
These clips are not a new or unique phenomenon. Over the years, footage has been captured of Israeli soldiers – as well as members of U.S. and other militaries – behaving inappropriately or shamefully in conflict zones.
However, critics say the new clips, which have been largely ignored in Israel, reflect a national mood that strongly supports the war in Gaza, with little sympathy for the plight of civilians in the enclave.
Exacerbation of Desecration and War
It appears the clips were uploaded by the soldiers themselves while in Gaza. In one, soldiers ride bicycles in the midst of the rubble.
In another clip, a soldier moves Islamic prayer rugs to the bathroom. In another clip, a soldier is shown rummaging through clothing boxes inside a house in Gaza. In another, a soldier attempts to ignite food and bring in rare food supplies in Gaza.
In one image, an Israeli soldier sits in front of a room under the slogan “Khan Younis Divine Court.” Israeli forces have clashed with Hamas fighters in the southern city, where the army opened a new line of attack last week.
In another image, a soldier stands next to brightly colored graffiti on a pink building that reads “Instead of erasing the graffiti, let’s erase Gaza.”
Yinon Magal, a conservative Israeli media personality, posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing dozens of soldiers dancing in a circle, apparently in Gaza, singing a song that includes the phrase “Gaza, we have come to invade… we know our motto – there are no uninterested people.”
The video, which Magal took from Facebook, has been viewed nearly 200,000 times on his account and widely shared on other accounts.
Magal stated he does not know the soldiers involved. However, the Associated Press verified the backgrounds, military attire, and spoken language in the videos and found them consistent with independent reports.
Magal condemned some other videos that have surfaced, including one of a toy store being vandalized, apparently in the northern area of Jabalia, where a soldier destroys toys and beheads a plastic statue, describing it as unnecessarily damaging to Israel’s security goals.
Dehumanizing and Humiliating Individuals
On Sunday, Israeli military spokesman, Admiral Daniel Hagari, condemned some actions that appeared in the recent videos. He stated, “In any case that does not align with the values of the Israel Defense Forces, leadership and disciplinary actions will be taken.”
The videos surfaced days after images and footage were leaked showing Palestinians detained in Gaza, where they were stripped down to their underwear, and in some cases, were positioned and handcuffed, also drawing international attention. The military says it did not disseminate those images, but Hagari said this week that soldiers stripped Palestinian detainees to ensure they were not wearing explosives.
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, displayed the video of the soldier in the toy store at a press conference in Beirut. He described the footage as “disgusting.”
Leave a Reply