Israeli soldiers film themselves playing with Gaza women’s underwear | Israel

Israeli soldiers have published photos and videos of themselves playing with lingerie found in Palestinian homes, creating a jarring visual record of the war in Gaza, where hunger intensifies global scrutiny of the Israeli offensive.

In a published video onlinean Israeli soldier is sitting in an armchair in a room in Gaza, smiling, with a gun in one hand and white underwear in the other, which he holds over the open mouth of another soldier, lying, and apparently sleeping, on a sofa.

Elsewhere, another soldier sits on top of a tank holding a female mannequin dressed in a black bra and helmet and says: “I found a beautiful wife, a serious relationship in Gaza, a great woman.”

The two videos, filmed by Israeli soldiers, are among dozens of publications in which troops in Gaza show lingerie, mannequins and, in some cases, both. The underwear images were viewed tens of thousands of times (nearly half a million in one case) after being published by Younis Tirawiwho describes himself as a Palestinian reporter.

Asked about images he republished for more than 100 thousand followers on X, between February 23 and March 1, Tirawi sent Reuters the links of original publications by soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF in the original acronym). Reuters independently verified the eight posts on Instagram or YouTube.

“The publication of such images is humiliating for Palestinian women and for all women,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office.

Reuters sent details of the eight verified YouTube or Instagram posts to the IDF, asking for comment. In response, a spokesperson sent a statement saying that the IDF investigates incidents that deviate from the orders and values ​​expected of soldiers, as well as video reports posted on social media. “In cases where there is a suspicion of a criminal offense that justifies the initiation of an investigation, the investigation is initiated by the Military Police,” he says. “It should be clarified that, in some of the cases examined, it was concluded that the expression or behavior of the soldiers in the video was inappropriate, and they were treated accordingly,” the statement said.

The IDF declined to say whether it was referring to any of the images highlighted by Reuters, or whether any of the soldiers responsible were disciplined.

The Israeli soldiers that Reuters was able to identify did not respond to requests for comment sent through their social media accounts.

Mannequins and underwear

The verified images include a photograph of a soldier holding a naked female mannequin from behind with his hands on her breasts and a photograph of a soldier handling a semi-naked doll.

One photograph shows a soldier posing with his weapon, gesturing with a thumbs up, in front of a double bed filled with packages of women’s underwear.

YouTube said it had removed a video flagged by Reuters for violating the platform’s harassment policies, which prohibit content that reveals personally identifiable information. Instagram did not comment.

The Israeli military campaign in Gaza was launched in response to an attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, on October 7, in which the militants killed around 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, according to Israel.

The messages 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 were reasonable grounds to believe that sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, occurred in several locations during Hamas’ October 7 attack.

The experts also stated that there is convincing information that some Israeli hostages taken to Gaza were subjected to sexual violence that may still be ongoing.

Israel is accused of pushing Gaza into famine. In its most recent report, the United Nations team of experts also claims to have received information from institutional and civil society sources, as well as direct interviews in the West Bank, about sexual violence carried out by the IDF against Palestinians.

Both parties reject allegations of sexual violence.

Publications about lingerie and mannequins do not compare in severity to the alleged crimes against women recorded since October 7, but two legal experts say they may have violated international law.

Ardi Imseis, assistant professor of Law at Queen’s University in Canada, stated that posts they violated Article 27 of the Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of civilians in time of war.

Article 27 says that civilians have the right to respect for their honor, family rights, usages and customs and must be protected against insults and public curiosity, and that women must be especially protected against any attack on their honor.

In Israel, publications about lingerie have attracted little attention, said Oren Persico of Seventh Eye, a site that covers the average Israelites. In contrast, it says, messages showing Hamas weapons or flags said to have been found in Gaza homes have been circulated widely.