Israeli soldiers pose with Palestinian women’s underwear on social media

In one of the videos, an Israeli soldier sits in a chair and waves his underwear over the open mouth of his fellow soldier lying on a sofa. Another shows a soldier sitting on a tank, hugging a mannequin wearing a black bra and helmet, saying: “I found a beautiful woman, a serious relationship in Gaza, a great woman.”

These are two of dozens of similar videos shared on social media by self-proclaimed Palestinian reporter Younis Tirawi. The most watched of them was watched by up to half a million people. Reuters contacted him about the videos and received links to the original posts by IDF soldiers. So far, she has independently verified eight of the videos shared on Instagram and YouTube, proving that this is a real trend.

The Israel Defense Forces subsequently received a request for comment from Reuters. Their spokesman said the IDF investigates incidents that deviate from the orders and expected values of its soldiers, including reports of videos uploaded to social media. However, he declined to confirm or deny whether the IDF is already dealing with these particular videos.

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“In the event of a suspicion of criminal activity that requires investigation, the military police will handle it,” explained the standard process spokesman. “It needs to be clarified that in some of the cases investigated, it is determined that the expression or behavior of the soldiers in the video is inappropriate and this is then dealt with accordingly.”

Other posts that have been authenticated include photos of a soldier touching the bust of a mannequin from behind, or a fellow soldier playing with a half-naked doll. Another soldier poses with packages of underwear spread out on the bed.

The Israeli campaign in Gaza was launched in response to an attack by the terrorist Islamist movement Hamas on October 7, which claimed approximately 1,200 Israeli lives. In addition, Hamas captured another 253 people, of whom it is estimated that approximately 100 are still being held. During the conflict, both sides are accused of sexual violence.

A team of UN experts said in a report last month that there are strong reasons to believe that sexual violence, including multiple rapes, was part of the October attack by Hamas. He also allegedly received enough convincing information that Hamas hostages were also subjected to sexual violence, which may still continue.

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Israel is more often blamed on the international stage for plunging Gaza into famine. However, the same team of experts that evaluated reports of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas also said it had received reports of sexual violence perpetrated against West Bank Palestinians by members of the IDF. Both sides of the conflict deny accusations of sexual violence.

Of course, the underwear videos and photos don’t come close to the seriousness of the alleged crimes against women on October 7, but they could still be a violation of international law. Canada’s Queen’s University law professor Ardi Imseis said the posts violate Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of civilians in a state of war.

According to Article 27, civilians are entitled to respect for their honor, family rights, customs and customs and must be protected from insults. According to him, the honor of women should be especially protected. “The publication of such posts humiliates Palestinian women and all women in general,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said of the seriousness of the case.