As if the thousands of children who have lost their lives, the death toll nearing 20,000, the thousands displaced from their homes, the tens of thousands injured, and the famine, diseases, and destruction in Gaza were not enough, the Israeli writer Gideon Levy begins his article in Haaretz by stating that it is crucial to humiliate them to the core so they can learn. He articulates the sentiments of the leaders and the majority of Israelis when he states, "We must show them and ourselves who they are, and who we are. We must prove to them our strength and their weakness. This is good for morale, as it is good for the soldiers and the home front. It is a Hanukkah gift for the humiliated Palestinians; what could make the heart happier than this?"
Levy points out, "There is no greater evidence that we have taken the wrong path than the despicable attempts to humiliate the Palestinians in full view. There is no greater indication of moral decay than humiliating them while they are defeated." He continues, "After we have taken the lives of the people of Gaza, destroyed their property and homes, and killed their children, we will now also crush what remains of their dignity. We will force them to kneel until they surrender."
He describes images and videos captured the previous week depicting dozens of men kneeling, wearing only underwear, with their hands tied behind their backs and their eyes blindfolded, looking down. Levy elaborates that these images show a handful of masked Israeli soldiers, "perhaps because they feel ashamed of their behavior," adding that their victims include both young and old, some overweight, others skinny, and some with pale skin or darkened by the horrors of war. He speculates that their children and wives may have witnessed this scene, which could enhance the magnitude of the achievement.
According to reports, those prisoners were transferred from a shelter belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Beit Lahiya and were detained for interrogation. Levy notes that no one knows for certain whether any of them are members of the Hamas movement. After the "victory photo" was taken, they were moved to an unknown location, and their fate remains unknown.
The writer questions, stating that this is not the first instance of the Israeli army stripping Palestinians in this manner for the purpose of humiliation; such acts occurred during past demonstrations in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. The writer asserts that both wanted and unwarranted men wear only undergarments for all to see. This is what Israel does, and it is important to document the event and disseminate the images. However, according to Levy's article in Haaretz, the truth is that the images humiliate the occupying army far more than they humiliate its naked victims.
He goes on to mention that Israeli forces destroyed the parliament building and the courthouse in Gaza. In the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, they smashed all monuments, including the "Key of Return" at its entrance. The Israeli army also "looted" the large tin horse at the entrance of the hospital, a memorial built by a German sculptor from the wreckage of destroyed Palestinian ambulances, dedicated to the dead. In Tulkarem, they demolished the memorial for Yasser Arafat. "Soon we will burn their consciousness," Levy declares in his article.
The writer concludes his article saying, "The great victory is closer than ever."
