‘IDF soldiers played with Gaza women’s underwear’

Some IDF soldiers have been posting photos and videos of themselves toying with lingerie found in Palestinian homes, creating a dissonant visual record of the war in Gaza as a looming famine intensifies world scrutiny of Israel’s offensive.

In one video, an Israeli soldier sits in an armchair in a room in Gaza, grinning, with a gun in one hand and dangling white satin underwear from the other over the open mouth of a comrade lying on a sofa.

Elsewhere, another soldier sits atop 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 shot by the soldiers are among dozens of posts in which troops in Gaza are shown displaying lingerie, mannequins, and, in some cases, both. The lingerie images have been viewed tens of thousands of times – nearly half a million in one case – after being reposted by Younis Tirawi, who describes himself as a Palestinian reporter.

Approached about images he reposted to his more than 100,000 followers on X between February 23 and March 1, Tirawi provided links to the original posts by IDF soldiers. Reuters then independently verified eight of the images posted 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.

Reuters sent details of the eight verified posts to the IDF, requesting a comment.

In response, a spokesperson sent a statement saying 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,” the spokesperson said.

“It should be clarified that in some of the examined cases, it is concluded that the expression or behavior of the soldiers in the video is inappropriate, and it is being handled 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 had been disciplined.

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

The authenticated posts include a photo of a soldier holding a bare female mannequin from behind with his hands on its breasts and one of a soldier handling a half-naked doll.

One photo shows a soldier posing with his gun, making a thumbs-up gesture, in front of a double bed strewn with packets 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 someone’s personally identifiable information. Instagram did not comment.

The IDF campaign in Gaza was launched in response to a cross-border massacre attack on Israeli communities by Hamas on Oct. 7, in which terrorists killed about 1,200 people and took 253 hostages.

The lingerie and mannequin posts do not compare in gravity to the alleged crimes against women reported since Oct. 7. Still, two legal experts said they potentially breached international law.

Ardi Imseis, an assistant professor of law at Queen’s University in Canada, said the posts violated Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of civilians in wartime.

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

Within Israel, the lingerie posts have attracted little attention, said Oren Persico of the Seventh Eye, a website covering Israeli media. By contrast, he said, posts showing weapons or Hamas flags said to have been found in Gazan homes have been circulating widely.