The number of videos is hundreds. They show members of the Israeli Army toasting while blowing up entire houses in Gaza. Making fun of the absence of students in the classroom of a demolished school, rummaging through a women’s underwear drawer in a Palestinian home, or throwing bullets at the Strip dressed as a dinosaur. In some cases, they boast of killing Palestinians, including children.
According to an investigation by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Israeli soldiers upload them to their own networks or to certain Telegram channels of the Army itself. Why do they do it? Are these uncontrolled soldiers or organized psychological warfare against Palestinians?
“They worry, they signs of lack of discipline and respect for human life, and there must be respect for a war to be acceptable,” says Henrik Syse, a physician at the Oslo Peace Research Institute and editor of the Journal of Military Ethics.
The expert considers this trend to be exceptional and abnormal in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). “They used to have a very strict code of ethics and took the rules of war seriously. “What we are seeing now are sad reminders that this attitude can change.”
In one of the videos, a soldier is seen asking the camera, “Why is there no education in Gaza?” before showing the destroyed university: “There will be no more engineers in Gaza”. In another, another boy laughs and assures us there will be no more classes on the Strip.
There are videos reproduced by Israeli media. Destruction of Gaza universities with explosives: Al-Isra, Islamic or Al-Azhar among others. All of this took place in a context where at least a hundred university professors were killed in bombings, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Watch.
“Remember when The Red Army entered German territory in World War II. So there were signs of such pleasure in the destruction caused; “The main difference was that there was no network to upload everything instantly,” Syse adds. In his opinion, this attitude is abnormal in modern warfare, especially in advanced armies. “This level of display of the anger generated by the October 7 attacks and the sense of vulnerability that the October 7 attack created in Israel ” It attempts to explain, if not justify, resurrecting the ghosts of the Holocaust.
The second important factor, as he noted, is lack of moral leadership. “Benjamin Netanyahu is a leader who does not take peace or dialogue seriously, and this is something that has been a problem for years. I know IDF members, they are excellent people and They are also worried“The analyst concludes.
’72 virgins – uncensored’
One of the questions that remains to be resolved is whether it was the soldiers (hundreds of them) losing control and tolerating their orders when publishing these videos, or whether it was an attack. Strategy designed and directed by the military.
It is known that the unit responsible for psychological warfare in the IDF (Operation Effects Directorate) operates a Telegram channel published in Hebrew. ’72 virgins – uncensored’ According to an exclusive report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which showed raw footage of the war in Gaza intended for Israeli viewers.
Inside you can see images of allegedly dead or seriously injured Hamas members, along with sarcastic text suggesting that the terrorists’ dream of going to heaven has “come true.”
“He’s burning his mother. You won’t believe the video we have! You can hear your bones creaking. We will upload it immediately, get ready,” one of the messages said: “We are destroying cockroaches and Hamas rats. Share this beauty,” reads a video showing an Israeli soldier allegedly dipping bullets into lard.
The Army denies being behind the channel, but senior Army sources cited by Haaretz confirm the authorship of the claim.
The display of hatred towards the enemy, which became even more intense after the October 7 attacks, was actually a perceived trend in the Israeli Army in recent years. This phenomenon is analyzed in the book “Digital militarism: Israeli Occupation in the Age of Social Media” (Stanford University Press), Professors Adi Kuntsman and Rebecca Stein.
In-depth analyzes broadcasts on Israeli networks during the 2014 Gaza bombings, which killed more than 2,300 people in Jewish retaliation for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers; This attack was also a reaction to the deaths of two people. other Palestinian youth. Then you could see the Hebrew soldiers with this message: “The people want revenge” is written on the body. or banners of Israelis smiling at the camera read: “Hating Palestinians is not racism, it’s a value.”
“Digital militarism is practices that use digital tools and social networks used by the State and civilian users for military projects,” the text states. “Promotes patriotic mobilization with racist tweets, embellished selfies of soldiers and posts celebrating the deaths of Palestinians. “This is the culmination of the gradual normalization of digital militarism in Israel over the past two decades.”