THE MIND OF THE PEOPLE – A photo showing an Israeli soldier using the blunt part of an ax to damage a statue of Jesus that had fallen from the cross circulated on social media and sparked widespread condemnation on Monday (20/4/2026). Condemnation came from the leaders of Israel, the United States, and the leader of the Catholic church.
Quoting Reuters, the photo was first uploaded by Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian journalist who also previously published images of alleged violations committed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
Reuters verified the location of the image as the village of Debel, one of the few villages in southern Lebanon whose residents remained during Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah that began on March 2, 2026.
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The local priest, Fadi Falfel, said the cross was part of a small shrine in the garden of a family who lived on the outskirts of the village. “One of the Israeli soldiers broke the cross and did this terrible thing, the desecration of our sacred symbols,” Falfel said.
The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, which includes Jerusalem Catholic Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said in a statement that the action was a grave affront to the Christian faith.
The statement also said the incident revealed an alarming failure in moral and humanitarian formation, where even the most basic respect for sacred things and the dignity of others has been seriously compromised.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the soldiers’ actions were contrary to Jewish values of tolerance and the soldiers involved would be punished.
“I was shocked and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon. I condemn this act in the strongest terms,” Netanyahu said on the X platform.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated in X that swift, severe and public consequences were urgently needed. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the army’s actions shameful. “We apologize for this incident and to any Christian whose feelings were hurt,” he said.
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The Israeli military said the incident was being investigated. “The IDF views the incident very seriously and confirms that the soldier’s behavior is in no way consistent with the values expected of its troops,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
The IDF also said it was working to assist the local community in restoring the statue to its original place.
Debel is one of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon that are now under effective Israeli occupation. Israel and Lebanon on Thursday agreed to a US-mediated ceasefire to stop fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
However, Falfel said that the conditions for the villagers were still difficult. “We are still under siege, unable to travel to and from the city. There are several houses on the outskirts of the city that we are not allowed to access,” he said.***
