The Israeli military has been posting grotesque videos of dead Palestinians on a racist Telegram channel. It’s typical for the ‘anything goes’ platform. Representatives from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) admitted to running a notoriously violent and racist Telegram channel following an investigation from Haaretz. On October 9, 2023, the Telegram channel “72 Virgins—Uncensored” started posting gore-filled photos and videos from the frontlines of Israel’s war on Gaza. An investigation from Haaretz revealed in December that the Israeli military ran the channel. The IDF initially denied the accusation but reversed course after an internal investigation, Haaretz reported on Sunday. It’s an unsurprising revelation that highlights the grotesque appeal of Telegram, and how governments increasingly use the platform to spread propaganda. Videos and images on the channel included the dead bodies of Palestinian civilians and resistance fighters alongside racist text. “Exterminating the roaches…exterminating the Hamas rats…Share this beauty,” one post said above pictures of captured Palestinians. Another post showed an Israeli soldier dipping their gun into a liquid. “What a man!!!! Lubricates bullets with lard. You won’t get your virgins,” the text on the video said, according to a translation from Haaretz. In the past months, several unconfirmed videos have gone viral on social media purporting to show soldiers mocking Palestinians by dipping their bullets in pig fat, which is forbidden under Islam. Since October 7th, Nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza, where Israeli occupation forces have blocked almost all humanitarian aid from entering the densely-populated Palestinian territory.
Some quotes:
"What a man!!!!! Greases bullets with lard. You won't get your virgins."
""Garbage juice!!!! Another dead terrorist!! You have to watch it with the sound, you'll die laughing."
The IDF wants the world, and Israeli citizens, to know of and revel in their genocide.