The Israeli government acknowledged its wrongdoing in the taking and publishing of photos that depicted Palestinian men stripped to their underwear after being detained by Israeli military personnel in Gaza.
The photographs, which have surfaced online in recent days and led to scrutiny, show dozens of men had been detained and stripped.
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The Israelis “made clear to us, however, that these photographs should not have been taken, should not have been released, and they made it clear going forward that that will not be their practice and that if they do conduct searches of detainees, they will give them their clothes back immediately. Those are obviously appropriate steps to take,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Wednesday.
He described the photos earlier this week as “deeply disturbing.”
Israeli government officials have said the Israel Defense Forces detain all military-aged males who were found in areas ordered to evacuate to ensure none were Hamas members and that they were stripped to ensure none of them were wearing explosive devices, a common tactic Hamas used in previous conflicts.
“The people we’re seeing in these images are all suspected terrorists,” Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said on CNN last week. “We wish that all Hamas fighters were wearing uniforms that clearly said Hamas on their helmets because that would make them easier to identify them. But when Hamas [members] dress up as civilians and fight within civilian areas, they make it very difficult to find them.”
Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on MSNBC on Monday, “We’re taking steps to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” and added that they are “trying to get to the bottom” of who took the photo and shared it online.
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The IDF Operations Directorate’s Influencing Department has denied being responsible for a Telegram channel that has posted graphic and degrading photos and videos of Palestinians who were injured or killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, though Haaretz, an Israeli-based outlet, reported they are behind the account, now titled “72 Virgins — Uncensored.”
U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, have repeatedly urged the Israelis to do more to avoid civilian casualties and to be more precise in their military operations. The president, on Tuesday, told a group of Democratic donors that Israel is “starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place,” which was a notable comment given the administration’s continued support for Israel’s campaign even as it faces increasing international pressure.
