Gaza Mothers Identify Sons in Viral Photo of Alleged Israeli Abuse
Viral Photo Sparks Anguish and Calls for Answers
By Mahmoud Issa and Rami Ayyub
GAZA/JERUSALEM, July 4 (Reuters) - The photo depicts a blindfolded Gaza man stripped to his underwear and restrained face down on a cot while in Israeli custody.
Israel says the image is genuine and has acknowledged that the treatment it depicts "does not align" with its military's values. But it has yet to say who the man is or where he is being held.
That has added to the anguish of two Palestinian mothers, Rana Abu Nassar and Joudeh Al-Ghoul, each of whom is absolutely certain that the man being mistreated in the image is her own missing son.
The Viral Image and Its Impact
In the screenshot of an Instagram post, the man's hands are bound behind his back, his right foot tied to the bottom corner of the cot. A wooden rod is bound to the back of his body, running from his right foot up to his neck. His face is mostly obscured.
The Instagram post, uploaded by a user whose account appears to have been deleted, had the words "good morning" in Hebrew written over the photo.
The military said it had identified the incident, an inquiry was underway "and those involved will be dealt with in accordance with the findings". A spokesperson did not disclose the name of the man or the location of his detention.
Motherly Recognition and Emotional Reactions
Abu Nassar's Identification of Her Son
'I KNOW THE DETAILS OF HIS BODY'
Abu Nassar said that from the moment she saw the photo two days ago, she knew it was her son Osama.
"I know the details of his body. He has swelling in his foot and scars on his leg — the same swelling on his left leg I saw in the picture," she said.
She said that was the first image of him she had seen since he was arrested in March in an area near Israel's armistice line with Hamas militants.
Osama's arrest on March 19 gained international attention because he was detained along with his 1-year-old child, who was released the same day with what his family said were cigarette burn marks on his legs.
His mother said Osama suffers from mental health issues and that a "normal person would not take his son to that area" near the so-called "Yellow Line" where Israeli forces frequently open fire on Palestinians.
Israel's military rejected allegations that its forces had abused Osama's son. It said the marks on the boy's legs were the result of warning shots troops fired to compel Osama not to approach the Yellow Line. Reuters was not able to independently verify the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
Al-Ghoul's Recognition of Her Son
Al-Ghoul, whose son Amin was arrested in November 2023 while trying to travel from southern Gaza to the enclave's north, also said she recognised the man in the image from the moment she saw it.
"It's him — his hair and chin. He is my son. A mother's heart can recognise her son. I hugged the mobile phone and started crying," she said from a displaced persons camp in Gaza City. "He is my son, my soul, my life."
Legal and Human Rights Response
Palestinian Group Seeks Lawyer Visits
PALESTINIAN GROUP SEEKS LAWYER VISITS WITH BOTH MEN
Around 1,200 Palestinians from Gaza are held in Israel under the Internment of Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows for an unlimited period of detention for people believed to have participated directly or indirectly in hostile acts.
Amani Sarahneh, of the Palestinian Prisoners Society, said that since the image's release the organisation has submitted both men's names to the military in order to try to get lawyer visits with them.
"Visits do take place, but with great difficulty. The coordination process takes a very long time," Sarahneh said.
(Reporting by Mahmoud Issa in Gaza and Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem, with additional reporting by Pesha Magid; Editing by Peter Graff)
