October 2023 IDF Prisoner Abuse Video

In late October 2023, a leaked video began circulating depicting IDF soldiers physically abusing Palestinian prisoners that had been stripped of their clothes, bound, and left naked on their stomachs and backs in the outdoors. In the video, IDF soldiers were seen physically abusing the Palestinian prisoners while they screamed in pain. The events in the video are currently believed to have taken place during the 2023 Israel War Against Gaza.

Video of Palestinian Prisoners Stripped Naked and Abused

The video first appeared around October 31, 2023 and began circulating on Twitter and various Telegram channels. The video shows at least five Palestinian men in various states of undress, with several stripped completely naked, some lying or rolling on the floor while others are being dragged across the ground by IDF soldiers, in what appears to be some sort of outdoor clearing. Throughout the video, the Palestinians can be heard crying out or wailing in pain.

At one point during the video, an IDF soldier begins to stomp on the face of one of the Palestinian men, who tries to use his hands (which have been bound together) to protect his face from further injury.

The video was originally posted unredacted and uncensored, clearly depicting both the completely naked condition of some of the Palestinian men and the abuse the IDF soldiers inflicted upon them.

News Coverage and IDF Response

This video quickly spread online and earned widespread condemnation for the actions and behavior of the unidentified IDF soldiers depicted in the video. According to an NBC News report, the Israeli military has acknowledged the authenticity of the video and, as of November 2023, had launched an investigation. An NBC video segment featured a censored version of the video alongside photos from the infamous Abu Ghraib torture scandal, which also featured Muslim prisoners being stripped and humiliated for the pleasure of their captors.

The Times of Israel ran an article on November 1, 2023 that covered this video along with other videos and photos of Israeli mistreatment or abuse of detained Palestinians after the October 7, 2023 Hamas Attack on Israel and during the 2023 Israel War on Gaza.