A senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the backlash against widely circulated photos and videos of Palestinian men stripped down to their underwear by the Israeli military, saying that “it’s the Middle East and it’s warmer here.” Israeli forces in Gaza detained numerous Palestinian men, as seen in footage released by Israel’s Channel 11’s military correspondent on 7 December. The video displays the deliberate act of stripping the men’s clothes during their arrest in northern Gaza, despite their apparent lack of resistance. Mark Regev, Netanyahu’s advisor, told Sky News’ Niall Paterson on 8 December that the experience of getting stripped naked “might not be pleasant, but it’s not the end of the world.” The military was searching for concealed weapons based on “lists” and “intelligence information” of Hamas members, Regev explained. The group included journalists and family members of UN workers, among others. The advisor also dismissed United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ statement that people in Gaza “are being told to move like human pinballs – ricocheting between ever-smaller slivers of the south, without any of the basics for survival.” Regev claimed that the secretary-general was wrong…
Israel Advisor Says ‘It’s Warm, Not the End of the World’ After Photos Show Stripped Palestinians
December 9, 2023
