IDF says troops who used marker to tag Palestinians showed poor judgment

After footage showing Palestinian women marked with a number on their hands by IDF troops in the West Bank went viral, the army issues a statement acknowledging that the soldiers showed poor judgment.

The incident in question took place earlier this week when the IDF says it allowed a number of Palestinians to return to the Jenin refugee camp to gather their belongings.

The IDF has been conducting a counterterror operation in the camp for months, displacing thousands of Palestinians who were living there.

The army says troops were trying to maintain an orderly return of the residents to the refugee camp, which the IDF has divided into sections that it identifies by a number and a letter.

The army claims writing the section of the camp to which each resident was from on their respective hand was the Palestinians’ idea.

Still, “this was a case of poor judgment,” the army says in a statement, insisting that proper conduct has been clarified and that lessons have been learned.

هكذا خرجت نساء مخيم جنين بعد تفقد منازلهن المدمرة بعد عام وأربعة أشهر من الغياب القسري." pic.twitter.com/CeFJbWOwxq

— قدس اليومية (@QUDnewS) April 13, 2026