Israel bans soldiers from showing their faces and names in the media to prevent them from being accused of crimes

The Israeli Army has asked its soldiers not to show their face or name in the media, after a reservist who was on vacation in Brazil had to leave the country after being reported for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

“This directive takes immediate effect, effective January 8, 2025, until further notice,” the military says in a statement detailing the new guidelines for privates, reservists and officers.

All soldiers with the rank of colonel or lower may only appear in recordings with their back turned, with their faces obscured, and identified only by the first initial of their name. Furthermore, no soldier, of any rank, may appear linked to any operation in which he has participated.

Last week, a Brazilian judge ordered police to investigate an Israeli reservist who was on vacation in the country, after receiving a complaint from the Hind Rajab Foundation, a pro-Palestinian organization, accusing him of participating in the demolition of civilian homes in Loop. The reservist left the country with the help of the Israeli consular services.

Since the war in the Gaza Strip began, numerous Israeli soldiers have posted videos on social media in which they are seen destroying homes or calling for the extermination of Palestinians, which could be interpreted as evidence of war crimes.

The Hind Rajab Foundation, named after a five-year-old Palestinian girl who died along with her family in an Israeli attack on the vehicle in which they were fleeing northern Gaza in early 2024, says it has evidence to incriminate some 1,000 Israeli soldiers.

According to Israeli media, there are open complaints against Israeli soldiers for alleged war crimes in at least 14 countries, including France, Serbia, Belgium, Ireland, Thailand and South Africa. So far no arrests have been made.

The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip has already claimed more than 46,000 lives, after at least 70 deaths were recorded in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours, according to the hospital registry published by the Gaza Ministry of Health.

In total, 46,006 people have been killed and 109,378 injured in Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023, not counting the more than 11,000 missing whose bodies are believed to remain buried under the rubble.