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Amid outcry over Gaza tactics, videos of soldiers acting maliciously create new headache for Israel
Vartha Bharati | 13-12-2023 | 23:34:00 IST
Jerusalem, Dec 13: Israeli soldiers rummaging through private homes in Gaza. Forces destroying plastic figurines in a toy store, or trying to burn food and water supplies in the back of an abandoned truck. Troops with their arms slung around each other, chanting racist slogans as they dance in a circle.
Several viral videos and photos of Israeli soldiers behaving in a derogatory manner in Gaza have emerged in recent days, creating a headache for the Israeli military as it faces an international outcry over its tactics and the rising civilian death toll in its punishing war against Hamas.
The Israeli army has pledged to take disciplinary action in what it says are a handful of isolated cases.
Such videos are not a new or unique phenomenon. Over the years, Israeli soldiers and members of the US and other militaries have been caught on camera acting inappropriately or maliciously in conflict zones.
But critics say the new videos, largely shrugged off in Israel, reflect a national mood that is highly supportive of the war in Gaza, with little empathy for the plight of Gaza's civilians.
"The dehumanization from the top is very much sinking down to the soldiers," said Dror Sadot, a spokeswoman for the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, which has long documented Israeli abuses against Palestinians.
Israel has been embroiled in fierce combat in Gaza since October 7, when Hamas group raided southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 hostages.
More than 18,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. About 90 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory.
The videos seem to have been uploaded by soldiers themselves during their time in Gaza.
In one, soldiers ride bicycles through rubble. In another, a soldier has moved Muslim prayer rugs into a bathroom. In another, a soldier films boxes of lingerie found in a Gaza home. Yet another shows a soldier trying to set fire to food and water supplies that are scarce in Gaza.
In a photo, an Israeli soldier sits in front of a room under the graffiti "Khan Younis Rabbinical Court." Israeli forces have battled Hamas group in and around the southern city, where the military opened a new line of attack last week.
In another photo, a soldier poses next to words spray-painted in red on a pink building that read, "instead of erasing graffiti, let's erase Gaza."
A video posted by conservative Israeli media personality Yinon Magal on X, formerly Twitter, shows dozens of soldiers dancing in a circle, apparently in Gaza, and singing a song that includes the words, "Gaza we have come to conquer. We know our slogan there are no people who are uninvolved." The Israeli military blames Hamas for the civilian death toll, saying the group operates in crowded neighbourhoods and uses residents as human shields.
The video, which Magal took from Facebook, has been viewed almost 2,00,000 times on his account and widely shared on other accounts.
Magal said he did not know the soldiers involved. But the AP has verified backgrounds, uniforms and language heard in the videos and found them to be consistent with independent reporting.
Magal said the video struck a chord among Israelis because of the popular tune and because Israelis need to see pictures of a strong military. It is based on the fight song of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team, whose hard-core fans have a history of racist chants against Arabs and rowdy behaviour.
"These are my fighters, they're fighting against brutal murderers, and after what they did to us, I don't have to defend myself to anyone," Magal told The Associated Press.
He condemned some of the other videos that have surfaced, including the ransacking of the toy store, apparently in the northern area of Jebaliya, in which a soldier smashes toys and decapitates a plastic figurine, as destruction that is unnecessary for Israel's security objectives.
On Sunday, the Israeli military's spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, condemned some of the actions seen in the recent videos. "In any event that does not align with IDF values, command and disciplinary steps will be taken," he said.
The videos emerged just days after leaked photos and video of detained Palestinians in Gaza, stripped to their underwear, in some cases blindfolded and handcuffed, also drew international attention. The army says it did not release those images, but Hagari said this week that soldiers have undressed Palestinian detainees to ensure they are not wearing explosive vests.
Osama Hamdan, a top Hamas official, aired the video of the soldier in the toy shop at a news conference in Beirut. He called the footage "disgusting."
Ghassan Khatib, a former Palestinian Cabinet minister and peace negotiator, said he can't remember a time when each side was so unwilling to consider the pain of the other.
"Previously, there are people that are interested in seeing from the two perspectives," said Khatib, who teaches international relations at Beir Zeit University in the West Bank. "Now, each side is closed to its own narrative, its own information, rules, and perspective."
Eran Halperin, a professor with Hebrew University's psychology department who studies communal emotional responses to conflict, said that in previous wars between Israel and Hamas, there may have been more condemnation of these types of photos and videos from within Israeli society.
But he said the October 7 attack, which exposed deep weaknesses and failures by the army, caused trauma and humiliation for Israelis in a way that hasn't happened before.
"When people feel they were humiliated, hurting the source of this humiliation doesn't feel as morally problematic," Halperin said.
"When people feel like their individual and collective existence is under threat, they don't have the mental capacity to empathize or apply the moral rulings when thinking about the enemy."
גדוד 9208 סיים פרק לחימה ראשון לאחר 5 שבועות של כיבוש בית חאנון.
— ינון מגל (@YinonMagal) December 12, 2023
החיילים שורפים את דגלי הנאצים שהביאו מבית חאנון pic.twitter.com/QFOwhR8lZh
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Shirtless protest at AI Summit: Police adds charges of rioting against arrested IYC members
24-02-2026 ¦
24-02-2026 IST
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has added charges of rioting against the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) members arrested in connection with the shirtless protest during the AI Summit here last week, an official said on Tuesday.
Eight IYC members, including its president Uday Bhanu Chib, have been arrested so far. Police have added sections 191(1) (rioting) and 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot- if rioting be committed; if not committed) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the case.
Addressing a press conference, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime and Police Management & Media Cell) Devesh Chandra Srivastva described the accused as 'aggressive elements' and said that a premeditated attempt was made to breach the security cordon in the presence of dignitaries, delegates and visitors attending the international event.
"On February 20, 2026, while the India AI Impact Summit was underway at Bharat Mandapam, a premeditated attempt was made to breach the security cordon in the presence of dignitaries, delegates and visitors attending the international event. The aggressive elements were immediately overpowered. During the process of restraining them, some police personnel deployed on duty sustained injuries," he said.
He added that during the course of investigation, many individuals were seen in CCTV footage from the event venue and surrounding areas.
"The involvement of several other persons has also been detected, who were allegedly assisting the aggressive elements in various ways in carrying out the act," the Special CP said.
He said to unearth the entire conspiracy, continuous coordination is being maintained with police authorities of other states and raids are being carried out.
"During investigation, Sections 191(1) and 192 of the BNS have also been added. Based on the investigation so far, it has emerged that the offence was committed as part of a deep-rooted conspiracy, and substantial evidence in this regard has been obtained," he said.
Considering the multi-state ramifications of the case, the underlying financial and logistical networks among the accused, and the need for a comprehensive probe, further investigation has been transferred to the Inter-State Cell of the Crime Branch, Srivastva added.
According to police, additional sections under the BNS, including 196 (promoting enmity between different groups and acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 197 (assertions prejudicial to national integration), have been invoked in the FIR. Both carry a jail term of up to three years.
Charges of criminal conspiracy, obstruction of a public servant in discharge of duty, disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant, unlawful assembly and common intention had already been added to the case.
On Friday, the group of IYC workers staged a dramatic protest inside Hall No. 5 of the summit venue by removing their shirts to reveal T-shirts printed with slogans against the government and the India-US interim trade deal, before being whisked away by security personnel.
Police said the accused had registered online and obtained QR codes to gain entry into the venue.
The incident triggered a political slugfest, with the BJP calling it a "shameful act to tarnish India's image on the global stage", and the IYC defending it as a "peaceful" demonstration aimed at safeguarding national interests.