A group of reserve duty soldiers in the Israeli army has been suspended after a video went viral showing them laughing, smoking hookah, and eating snacks in front of detained and blindfolded Palestinians in Jenin, a city in the West Bank.
In the video, one soldier is heard saying, “I never imagined Jenin like this, what do I say? Show them what I have here,” as the camera pans to the group of Palestinians sitting on the floor silently.
Another soldier is then heard asking his colleagues, “What do you wish for us?” with the last soldier responding, “To have sex on the beach of Gaza.”
An Israeli army spokesperson condemned the behavior, stating, “The behavior of the soldiers in the videos is deplorable and stands in stark contrast to the values of the IDF.” The soldiers were handed suspensions at a disciplinary hearing.
The backlash against the video is just one of many, with critics claiming that they demonstrate Israel’s apathy toward Palestinian suffering.
“The dehumanization from the top is very much sinking down to the soldiers,” said Dror Sadot, a spokesperson for B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group.
According to Gaza health officials, approximately 19,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.