Photo of Israeli soldiers posing next to blindfolded Palestinian fuels anger online

A viral photo of two Israeli soldiers posing next to a blindfolded Palestinian has sparked widespread anger online.

The image was shared on Tuesday among a series of photos on the personal Instagram account of Nikol Stelmashvski, an Israeli who appears to have recently completed her military service. It shows two female soldiers smiling while posing next to an unidentified young Palestinian who is sitting on the ground with his head down. 

It is not clear when or where the photograph was taken.

The post was accompanied by a Hebrew-language caption that appears to mark the end of Stelmashvski's military service: “Two years and eight (months), four wars… Thousands of memories, a million and one experiences. And here came the end of a chapter of my life that I will never forget.” 

By Wednesday, the photograph was removed from the carousel amid several critical and angry comments, and the account settings were changed to private a few hours after. 

While the image was removed from Instagram, screengrabs of the scene circulated widely online.

“Turning his humiliation into a moment of celebration,” said Palestinian academic and human rights advocate Ramy Abdu on X.

Another X user posted: "I'm old enough to remember Abu Graib and the shock the world felt seeing the images of how Iraqis were treated, and how the soldiers involved were vilified.

"IDF revel in depravity and no one is holding Israel to account."

This type of photograph is not new. Since the start of Israel's genocide in Gaza, Israeli soldiers have widely shared footage from the Palestinian enclave that some experts say may amount to war crimes.

Videos include soldiers celebrating while blowing up civilian buildings, including homes, mosques and universities. 

One soldier shared a photo online in which he appears to use a blindfolded Palestinian man to advertise a private business.⁠

Soldiers have also been photographed holding stacks of money looted from Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip and posing in women’s underwear taken from homes.

Just last month, an Israeli soldier posted a photo of a blindfolded, undressed Palestinian man, his hands zip-tied behind his back, a cord tying him to a rod all while lying in a cot in a stress position.

In Hebrew, the caption said, “Good morning.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Middle East Eye (@middleeasteye)

The image circulated widely online after it was reposted by a Palestinian activist, and prompted widespread backlash, with many people condemning the treatment of the man and calling for accountability. 

In a statement, the Israeli army said it had “identified the incident” and launched a command investigation, adding that “those involved will be dealt with in accordance with the findings that emerge”.

An investigation by war monitor Action on Armed Violence last year found that nearly 90 percent of Israeli military investigations into allegations of abuse by its soldiers since October 2023 had either been closed or produced no findings.