As an impending famine heightens international scrutiny of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, Israeli soldiers have started sharing films and pictures of themselves playing with underwear discovered in Palestinian homes, producing a discordant visual record of the conflict.
One video shows an Israeli soldier sitting in an armchair in a Gaza room, smiling, one hand holding a gun, the other hanging white satin panties over the mouth of a colleague who is laying on a sofa.
Another soldier is holding a female mannequin who is sitting on a tank and saying, “I found a beautiful wife, a serious relationship in Gaza, a great woman.” She is wearing a black bra and a helmet.
In scores of posts, Israeli soldiers can be seen flaunting lingerie, mannequins, or sometimes both. These two films were taken by the soldiers themselves. Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian reporter, published the lingerie photos, and they have since received tens of thousands of views—nearly half a million in one instance.
When asked about the photos he shared with his over 100,000 followers on X between February 23 and March 1, Tirawi responded by sending links to the original posts made by IDF troops. Eight were then independently confirmed by Reuters on YouTube or Instagram.
