An IDF soldier currently serving in Gaza gave an unauthorized interview to content creator Jeff Davidson about his operations and told the interviewer, "We're not just killing them [Gaza civilians], we're raping them," while referring to activities in Gaza. The video shows the soldier with his face blurred, though he originally appeared with his face visible in the interview.
The statement was apparently made as a joke, but the interviewer did not treat it as such, and the video went viral. An IDF spokesperson said the military strongly condemns the remarks in the video and emphasized that a military police probe has been opened into the incident.
In the video, the interviewer asks the soldier whether he is in Gaza. When the soldier responds affirmatively, the interviewer asks him to show him the Strip. The soldier claimed that "everything is flat" and responded affirmatively when asked if the IDF was responsible for this. He then confirmed that he had killed women and children.
It should be noted that we contacted the IDF spokesperson yesterday afternoon, and the response was only provided this morning – an extremely long response time for a "public relations attack" of this type.
An IDF spokesperson said, "The IDF strongly condemns what was said in the video and views statements of this kind with severity. The soldier's words do not reflect the IDF's actual operations and values. After an investigation by the soldiers' unit commanders, it was made clear to him that his words were unacceptable, even as a joke. Following the incident, an investigation by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division has been opened, and upon its completion, its findings will be submitted for review by the Military Advocate General's Office."
