A group of US soldiers fighting in Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) units in Gaza are under investigation after creating a social media profile dedicated to sharing images of blindfolded Palestinian prisoners and calling on people to ‘get involved in the hunt for Hamas.
The ‘Hamas Hunting Club’ has published a series of images since its founding in November showing dozens of blindfolded Palestinian prisoners sitting on the ground with their arms tied together.
Other images with a location tag of Gaza City appear to show club members posing for the camera and brandishing assault rifles as disheveled and handcuffed Palestinians look on, unable to see through the rags covering their faces.
Another photo showed a grinning man holding an artillery shell destined for Gaza with the words “send nudes” emblazoned on it.
Nearly every image shows soldiers wearing or holding the club’s signature emblem – an image of a Hamas fighter’s skull being crushed under an IDF boot.
And some posts even included clips of soldiers going into battle, overlaid with popular songs by American rappers Eminem, Wiz Khalifa and Megan Thee Stallion.
The page’s administrators implore social media users to “join the club” and are now sharing Hamas Hunting Club patches and other merchandise to a growing number of followers.
The ‘Hamas Hunting Club’ has published a series of images since its founding in November showing dozens of blindfolded Palestinian prisoners sitting on the ground with their arms tied together
Soldiers are seen posing for the camera next to prisoners and holding the Hamas Hunting Club emblem
Artillery ammunition was seen with the words ‘send nudes’
Nearly every image shows soldiers wearing or holding the club’s signature emblem – an image of a Hamas fighter’s skull being crushed under an IDF boot
The page’s administrators implore social media users to “join the club” and are now distributing the Hamas Hunting Club’s patches and other merchandise to a growing number of followers
The IDF has previously investigated some of its soldiers after images of them humiliating Palestinian prisoners were shared on social media, and has tried to discourage this behavior as international pressure mounts on Tel-Aviv to agree to a ceasefire come.
In one incident, an IDF reservist was fired after becoming one Seven Palestinian workers from near Hebron in the West Bank were filmed being abused after they were caught trying to enter Israel without permits.
The images showed the Palestinian men naked or semi-naked, blindfolded and handcuffed, and screaming in pain. One of them is dragged across the ground.
A screenshot from the video shows a soldier stepping on the head of one of the Palestinians with his boot, while another points a gun at him.
In another scene of violence caught on camera, a soldier kicks a blindfolded Palestinian man in the stomach, then spits on him and insults him in Arabic.
He is then forced to languish in pain on the concrete while an Israeli flag is draped over him.
In a statement responding to the clips late last year, the IDF said: ‘The behavior (of the soldiers) evident from these scenes is serious and inconsistent with the values of the IDF.
‘The incidents are being investigated. The IDF commanders will hold talks with all soldiers at the front. One soldier has been discharged from reserve duty.”
However, critics of the IDF have claimed that there is little chance that its soldiers will be punished for such treatment of prisoners, which they say contradicts the Geneva Conventions which require prisoners to be treated humanely and protected from “insults and public curiosity’.
Many of the soldiers depicted in images shared by the Hamas Hunting Group profile have their faces blurred, but some were willing to openly share their identities.
MailOnline has contacted the IDF for comment on Hamas Hunting Group and the status of the investigation into the account.
Some soldiers had their faces blurred, while others openly revealed their identities on social media
In this social media post, a member of the Hamas Hunting Club is seen holding a knife
Artillery shells are seen with the words ‘Hamas Hunting Club’
Club administrators are encouraging more social media users to join the movement
Hamas Hunting Club sells merchandise on social media to thousands of followers
The IDF previously investigated some of its soldiers after images of them humiliating Palestinian prisoners were shared on social media
There have been several examples of Israeli forces humiliating and posing for Palestinian prisoners
The war between Israel and Hamas is now in its sixth month, and the intensity of the fighting has left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins as many people, especially in the devastated northern region, scramble for food to survive. to be able to survive.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have tried for weeks to broker a new ceasefire deal in which Hamas would release up to 40 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire, the release of some Palestinian prisoners and a large influx of aid to the Palestinian territories. the isolated area.
But the talks have so far failed to produce a breakthrough, despite international pressure to end the fighting.
Aid groups have said it has become almost impossible to deliver supplies to most of Gaza due to the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military, ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of law and order.
Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-led militants crossed the border on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250.
More than 100 hostages were released in November in exchange for 240 Palestinians jailed by Israel, but the sides have since failed to reach an agreement on a cessation of hostilities.
Meanwhile, the total Palestinian death toll exceeds 30,700, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which also says more than 72,000 people have been injured.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said this week that he will warn a member of Israel’s war cabinet that allies are running out of patience over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Cameron is today meeting with former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who is stopping in London on his way back from a trip to Washington.
Cameron told members of the House of Lords on Tuesday that people in Gaza were “dying of hunger” and that Israel must bring in more humanitarian aid.
“We’ve had a whole series of things that we’ve asked of the Israelis, but I have to report to the House of Representatives that the amount of aid they received in February was about half of what they got in January,” he said.
‘So patience must run out and a whole series of warnings must be given. I hope this starts with a meeting I have with Minister Gantz when he visits Britain.”
Gantz, a rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visits Washington and London without permission from the Israeli prime minister.