(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Amid escalating tensions in Gaza and growing international scrutiny of Israel's offensive, Israeli soldiers have been reportedly capturing disconcerting images and videos inside Palestinian homes.
In one disturbing video, an Israeli soldier is seen seated in a room in Gaza, wielding a gun in one hand and playfully dangling white satin underwear over the open mouth of a fellow soldier lying on a sofa, eliciting grins.
In another scene, a soldier perched atop a tank jests about finding a "beautiful wife" in Gaza, showcasing a female mannequin dressed in a black bra and helmet, quipping about a "serious relationship."
These images present a stark and unsettling portrayal of the ongoing conflict, highlighting the complexities and tensions at play amidst the backdrop of a looming famine.
Dozens of posts depicting Israeli soldiers in Gaza have surfaced, featuring them showcasing lingerie, mannequins, or sometimes both. These videos, along with images of lingerie, have garnered significant attention, viewed tens of thousands of times, with one instance approaching half a million views.
Younis Tirawi, a self-described Palestinian reporter with over 100,000 followers on X, reposted these images between February 23 and March 1. When approached about these reposts, Tirawi provided links to the original posts by IDF soldiers. Reuters independently verified eight of these posts on Instagram or YouTube.
"The posting of such images is demeaning to Palestinian women, and all women," said Ravina Shamdasani, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson.
Upon receiving details of the eight verified posts on YouTube or Instagram, Reuters reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment. In response, an IDF spokesperson issued a statement stating that the IDF investigates incidents that deviate from the orders and expected values of IDF soldiers, as well as reports of videos uploaded to social networks.
"In cases where suspicion of a criminal offense arises that justifies opening an investigation, an investigation is opened by the Military Police," it said.
"It should be clarified that in some of the examined cases, it is concluded that the expression or behaviour of the soldiers in the video is inappropriate, and it is handled accordingly," the statement said.
The IDF declined to specify whether its statement pertained to any of the images highlighted by Reuters or whether any of the soldiers involved had faced disciplinary action. Despite efforts to contact them through their social media accounts, the identified Israeli soldiers did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
The verified posts consist of a soldier holding a bare female mannequin from behind, with his hands on its breasts, and another of a soldier handling a half-naked doll.
In one image, a soldier is seen posing with his gun, giving a thumbs-up gesture, in front of a double bed scattered with packets of women's underwear.
YouTube confirmed the removal of a video flagged by Reuters for violating the platform's harassment policies, which prohibit content that reveals someone's personally identifiable information. Instagram declined to provide a comment.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza was initiated in response to an attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on October 7, during which Hamas operatives killed approximately 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, according to Israel.
The posts are being made at a time when Israel and Hamas are both being charged with serious war crimes. This month, a group of UN specialists reported that there were good reasons to think that sexual assault, including rapes and gang rapes, took place at multiple sites during Hamas' October 7 attack.
The experts added that there was solid evidence suggesting some of the Israeli hostages transferred to Gaza had experienced and possibly now are experiencing sexual abuse.
Israel is charged with driving Gaza closer to starvation. In their most recent report, the UN specialists team added that it had direct interviews in the West Bank and evidence of sexual violence against Palestinians perpetrated by the IDF, as well as information from institutional and civil society sources.
Both sides reject accusations of sexual violence.
The recorded offences against women after October 7 are far more serious than the mannequin and lingerie pictures. Nevertheless, according to two legal experts, they might have violated international law.
The postings, according to Ardi Imseis, an assistant professor of law at Queen's University in Canada, breached article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which sets down guidelines on how civilians are treated during times of war.
According to Article 27, citizens have the right to be treated with dignity and to have their family rights, manners, and customs respected. They also need to be shielded from insults and public curiosity, and women in particular need to be given extra protection against any attacks on their honour.
Oren Persico of the Seventh Eye, a website that covers Israeli media, stated that the lingerie posts had not received much notice within Israel. On the other hand, he claimed, there have been a lot of posts going around that feature guns or Hamas flags that are allegedly discovered in homes in Gaza.
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