On October 27, when they arrived in Gaza after three weeks of aerial attacks following Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel, Israeli troops brought their iPhones with them. Palestinian novelist Susan Abulhawa told Al Jazeera’s investigative unit (I-Unit) that this has been referred to as the first livestreamed genocide in history. Over the past year, Israeli soldiers have shared thousands of videos and images on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. These visuals are the basis of the I-Unit’s new film, which examines Israeli war crimes primarily through the evidence provided by Israeli soldiers themselves. According to international law expert Rodney Dixon, the footage is a valuable resource that prosecutors will likely be eager to use.
The investigation was initiated when a flood of social media posts from Israeli soldiers depicted the war on Gaza in a different light than what journalists in the West were reporting. The I-Unit decided to delve deeper into these posts, expecting to have to invest significant resources in geolocation and facial recognition software. However, they discovered that soldiers often posted content in their own names on public platforms, providing details of when and where the incidents occurred. The I-Unit compiled a database of over 2,500 social media accounts and sought input from military and human rights experts, as well as collecting witness testimonies and drone footage from Al Jazeera Arabic.
The investigation revealed a range of misconduct in the photos and videos, including wanton destruction, mistreatment of detainees, and the use of human shields. These actions potentially violate international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The film highlights instances of soldiers destroying property, mistreating detainees, and using civilians as shields, all of which are prohibited under international law. Prominent units featured in the footage include the 8219 Combat Engineering Battalion, which was responsible for demolishing numerous buildings in Gaza City.