Key facts
- An Israeli soldier's photo of a bound and blindfolded Palestinian detainee has emerged.
- Rights groups state the image corroborates reports of torture and may be a war crime.
- The Israeli military confirmed the photo's authenticity and initiated an inquiry.
- Families have identified the detainee as their missing sons, linking the photo to forced disappearance.
- The Israeli military declined to comment on the detainee's identification or family notification.
An image shared by an Israeli soldier, depicting a Palestinian from Gaza stripped to his underwear, blindfolded, and bound face-down, has drawn condemnation from human rights organizations. These groups state the photograph corroborates extensive reporting on the torture of Palestinian detainees and may itself constitute a war crime.
The image, which appeared with the caption "good morning" on a now-deleted social media account, was brought to public attention by activist Tamer. Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) stated that the abusive treatment of detainees and the public sharing of humiliating images are war crimes, confirming "what thousands of testimonies from Palestinian detainees have exposed." The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel added that holding a detainee in his underwear without security justification and capturing sexualized images constitutes sexual violence and a war crime.
At least two mothers have claimed the bound man as their son, highlighting the distress of families searching for missing loved ones detained by Israeli forces. Rana Abu Nasser believes the photo shows her son Osama, seized in March, noting specific physical details. Joudeh Al-Ghoul is also certain the photo is of her son Amin, missing since November 2023.
The Israeli military confirmed the photo's authenticity, stating the incident does not align with IDF values and regulations, and that an inquiry is underway. However, they declined to comment on whether the detainee had been identified, received medical support, or if his family had been notified. For seven months at the war's start, the Israeli military reportedly withheld basic information about detainees from Gaza, a practice rights group HaMokked described as a policy of forced disappearance.