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The IDF is considering banning the filming of soldiers at national ceremonies this year over concerns they could later be identified abroad and face arrest warrants for alleged war crimes amid the war in Gaza. With Israel’s Memorial Day and Independence Day approaching, the issue has been discussed in government forums, but security officials say no final decision has been made.
The main concern is the annual ceremony honoring 120 outstanding soldiers at the president’s residence, where participants are traditionally photographed. Other high-profile events include Memorial Day ceremonies at Jerusalem’s Western Wall and Mount Herzl, as well as the Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony, which features IDF flag bearers from various units.
Paratroopers and other combat soldiers, many of whom fought in the war in Gaza, are typically filmed during these events, potentially exposing them to legal action when traveling abroad.
Anti-Israel organizations, such as the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), have been filing lawsuits against IDF soldiers for their actions in Gaza. The fund cross-references soldiers' faces with their social media profiles to initiate legal proceedings and arrest warrant requests in various countries.
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HRF previously forced an IDF soldier to flee Brazil and has also pursued cases against Israeli troops in Chile, Argentina and Thailand.
Senior officers are also being targeted. HRF’s founder, Dyab Abou Jahjah, announced that the organization had petitioned the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue an arrest warrant for Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, who heads the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), while he was in Italy in January.
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HRF’s founder Dyab Abou Jahjah
(Video: via X)
At the start of the year, the IDF issued strict media coverage guidelines for soldiers and officers. Any reporting on operational activity now requires specific approval. Officers ranked brigadier general and above can be interviewed with their full name, position and unit affiliation only after prior briefing.
Lower-ranking officers must be filmed from behind or with their faces blurred and can only be identified by the first letter of their name.
The guidelines explicitly prohibit linking interviewees to specific combat incidents without special approval. They also ban revealing the names of soldiers with foreign citizenship and mandate blurring their faces in any media coverage.