Israeli soldiers have filmed and distributed videos showing Palestinian prisoners in their underwear.
Israelis soldiers seem to be quite openly spreading videos on social media that might be against international law.
British Broadcasting Corporation BBC has reviewed hundreds of videos shared by Israeli soldiers on social media since the October attack by Hamas and the ensuing war in Gaza.
The BBC has confirmed that at least eight videos show captured Palestinians. For example in the Geneva Convention it is defined that “prisoners of war must be treated humanely at all times”. For example, prisoners of war must be protected from “acts or threats of violence as well as insults and public curiosity”.
The videos seen by the BBC appear to be in violation of international law, experts told the broadcaster.
BBC analyzed eight videos that had been posted by the soldiers.
One of the videos is from December 24 and shows a Palestinian man who was detained being tied to a chair for interrogation. The man is wearing only his underwear and is bleeding. According to the BBC, the video was shot at a school in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Later in the same video, a man is seen being marched through the streets of Gaza without shoes.
The Israeli Armed Forces have commented on the video as follows:
“The video was filmed during a field interview. The suspect was not injured. The soldier filmed and published the video against the instructions and values of the armed forces. His services have recently been terminated.”
On the same day in December, the same Israeli soldier posted a video on YouTube showing hundreds of Palestinians arrested on a sports field in Gaza City. Most of the prisoners visible in the video are only in their underwear. Some are blindfolded and on their knees.
Both videos were removed shortly after the BBC contacted the Israeli military, according to the BBC.
In two In a video uploaded to Tiktok, an Israeli soldier poses with Palestinian prisoners. The prisoners are blindfolded. Rap music plays in the background of the video, and the soldier gives a thumbs up.
A UN expert interviewed by the BBC Mark Ellis says that what is essential in the Geneva Convention is the protection of prisoners of war from “public curiosity” and the fact that they are not humiliated or treated demeaningly.
“People marching in their underwear and filming and publishing it offends this,” Ellis says to the public broadcasting company.
Israeli academic Asa Kasher states to the media that the behavior in question is against the rules of the Israeli Armed Forces. According to him, it is acceptable to strip prisoners in order to check that they do not have weapons. However, he does not understand taking and publishing pictures, and considers the reason to be humiliating the prisoners.
Similar ones videos have gone viral before. For example, in early December, the US channel CNN verified several videos and pictures showing similar activities. At that time, at least some of the Palestinians visible in the pictures were civilians.
“The humiliating aspect is easy to see in the pictures”, professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Helsinki Hannu Juusola comment for HS at the beginning of December.
“Humiliation of Palestinian prisoners is routine for the Israeli army.”
The date of the video below has not been confirmed, but the video started to spread on social media at the beginning of December.
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