A photograph allegedly showing a Palestinian man tied to a metal pole, wearing only his underwear and blindfolded, has circulated widely on social media since Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
The image was reportedly first uploaded to the personal social media account of an Israeli soldier with a caption in Hebrew meaning “good morning,” before the account was subsequently deleted.
According to The Guardian, various human rights organizations immediately stated that the image could constitute evidence of torture as well as a possible war crime.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed the authenticity of the photograph and said that the incident was inconsistent with its military values and regulations. It added that an investigation is currently underway.
Oneg Ben Dror, from the Department for Prisoners and Detainees at Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), stated that both the mistreatment of detainees and the public dissemination of degrading images of them could be classified as war crimes.
He added that the photograph corroborates thousands of testimonies from Palestinian detainees, along with reports compiled by PHRI and other organizations over the past nearly three years.
Meanwhile, Sari Bashi, Executive Director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, said that detaining someone while they are half-naked and photographing them violates international law.
According to her, there is no legitimate security justification for holding detainees in only their underwear, and distributing degrading images of them on social media constitutes both sexual violence and a war crime.
Two Mothers Claim the Man in the Photo Is Their Son
The photograph has also sparked profound humanitarian concerns.
At least two mothers have claimed that the man shown in the image is their son, who was detained by Israeli forces.
Rana Abu Nasser said she believes the man in the photograph is her son, who was arrested together with her grandson in March.
She based her belief on distinctive physical features.
“There is swelling on his leg and a scar on his calf—the same swelling on his left leg that I saw in the photo,” she said.
Meanwhile, Joudeh al-Ghoul said she immediately recognized her son Amin, who has been missing since his arrest in November 2023 while attempting to travel from southern Gaza to the north.
“That’s him—his hair and his chin,” she said.
“He is my son. A mother’s heart can recognize her child. I hugged my phone and started crying,” al-Ghoul told The Guardian.
“He is my son, my life, my everything,” she added.
Israel Declines to Comment on the Detainee’s Identity
The Israeli military declined to comment on whether the identity of the man in the photograph has been confirmed, whether he has received medical treatment, or whether his family in Gaza has been informed of his condition.
The human rights organization HaMoked stated that Israeli authorities have consistently denied holding hundreds of missing Palestinians in custody, despite eyewitness testimony confirming that many of them had been arrested.
During the first seven months of the war, the Israeli military reportedly refused to provide even basic information regarding the status of detainees from Gaza, a policy that human rights organizations have described as enforced disappearance.
Only in May 2024 did Israel establish an email address for inquiries regarding Palestinian detainees from Gaza. However, human rights groups said the measure represented only limited progress and remained insufficient.***
