Israel’s military has imposed new media restrictions prohibiting the identification of active-duty soldiers below colonel rank, amid concerns about potential war crimes investigations targeting reservists travelling abroad.
The directive follows an incident in Brazil where an Israeli reservist hastily departed after a judge ordered an investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza. Media interviews can no longer show soldiers’ full names or faces, similar to existing protocols for pilots and special forces.
Military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani said the measures aim to protect soldiers from “anti-Israel activists”, who he claims are connecting social media posts from Gaza with soldiers’ holiday photos abroad to initiate legal proceedings.
The restrictions come as Israeli strikes killed 27 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, including three infants and two women, according to Palestinian medics. More than 46,000 Palestinians have died in Israel’s 15-month offensive, Gaza health officials report.
Separately, Israeli forces announced the recovery of hostage Yosef AlZayadni’s body from a tunnel in southern Gaza, as Israel and Hamas consider a ceasefire deal. About 100 hostages remain captive, with up to half feared dead.
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