Viral Video Shows IDF Soldier Calling for Military Coup, Israeli Rule Over Gaza
John Miles
John Miles
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rosiya Segodnya“
The viral clip is evidence that many Israeli reservists reject international calls for Palestinian control over Gaza and the West Bank.
A viral video appearing to show an Israeli soldier threatening a military uprising is shedding new light on intense political polarization that observers say threatens to provoke civil war.
It appears to show a masked Israel Defense Forces soldier calling for a rebellion against Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. The servicemember dedicates the message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and declares “we reservists do not intend to hand over the keys to any Palestinian Authority.”
“Think carefully to whom you intend to give the keys,” he says. “Our brothers were not murdered or raped for nothing. We want victory, a decision. Whoever harmed the people of Israel and our brothers – we want to destroy him, and you, Mr. Gallant, cannot do that.”
Independent investigations have challenged initial reports of mass rapes on October 7, while IDF soldiers have admitted to effectively implementing the military’s controversial Hannibal Directive, which calls for Israeli citizens to be killed rather than allowed to be taken hostage. Israeli shelling and airstrikes are now thought to account for many of the civilian deaths that took place amid the surprise attack by Hamas.
Deep political divides in Israeli society have opened up in recent months, with opposition leader Benny Gantz threatening to leave the country’s emergency war cabinet if the Israeli prime minister does not implement his proposed six-point plan for the country’s military operation in Gaza. Among Gantz’s demands are efforts to ensure the return of Hamas-held Israeli captives, a demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and a move towards international administration of the Palestinian territory.