WASHINGTON — Israel has informed US President Joe Biden’s administration that photographs published over the past week of Palestinian men stripped down to their underwear after being detained by the IDF in Gaza for suspected Hamas ties should not have been taken or disseminated, US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller says.
The Israelis “made it clear going forward that that will not be their practice, and that if they do conduct searches of detainees, they will give them their clothes back immediately,” Miller says during a briefing.
Hundreds of young and old Palestinian men were seen in these pictures and videos, which Israel has said were not formally disseminated by the IDF but that those arrested included surrendering Hamas fighters.
Miller acknowledges Israel’s security concerns for initially ordering Palestinians to strip, pointing to the history of Palestinian suicide attacks against Israel using concealed explosive belts. However, “the important thing is that they immediately return their clothes to them and that they behave in a way that’s consistent with the humane treatment of detainees,” he says.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From 
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
