Palestinian women’s underwear on display and men posing with undressed mannequins.
The images of the Israeli soldiers in Gaza have provoked strong reactions.
– I don’t think they have much respect for the Palestinians’ property and women in Gaza, says journalist Oren Perisco.
Several clips show Israeli soldiers in Gaza joking and posing with underwear belonging to women in Gaza. The Reuters news agency has not been able to verify exactly where all the footage was recorded, but at least one of the clips is said to be from the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
In one of the clips, a soldier holds a weapon in one hand, in the other he holds a pair of panties which he holds just above another soldier’s mouth.
– I am horrified by what I see, but also by what is going on in Gaza in general, and I think it is connected, says Dror Sadot, spokesperson at the Israeli information center for human rights, B’Tselem.
“Indicates evil intentions”
Sara Elizabeth Dill is a lawyer with a focus on human rights and war crimes. She points out that many of the women in Gaza are religious, conservative and wear the veil.
– The Israeli soldiers know this. To then tear up their privacy in this way, I think shows their evil intentions, says Elizabeth Dill.
Israeli journalist Oren Perisco, who works for The Seventh Eye newspaper, points out that Israelis are constantly reminded of the hostages being held in Gaza, which may have influenced the soldiers’ behavior.
– But I don’t think they have much respect for the Palestinians’ property and women in Gaza, says journalist Oren Perisco.
IDF: May be subject to disciplinary action
The Israeli Defense Force, the IDF, has written in a statement that it is acting to remedy similar incidents, which it believes deviate from the army’s expected values of the soldiers.
“The IDF investigates incidents of this type as well as reports of videos uploaded to social networks and deals with them with command and disciplinary measures,” the IDF writes.