Senior Israeli public relations figures stated Sunday that the publication of footage showing Hamas terrorists in their underwear on the street of Gaza, surrendering their weapons, might not be so beneficial for Israel.
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However, officials also argue that the impact is limited, and the practical value of undermining Hamas' morale outweighs the public diplomacy setback.
"The damage is quite limited – we underline that these are terrorists with a threat of wearing explosive belts and other means of warfare, so it's natural for them to be in their underwear," a senior figure stated.
"It's not meant to demean them but out of operational necessity. While it may not look good internationally, in Israel, it's the opposite because Israelis see that we are taking care of their security and that of our soldiers. Therefore, I'm not bothered by this story."
Another senior official remarked, "The images were never officially released but surfaced on an unidentified Telegram channel, and that's the crux of the problem. The images circulated without context, causing damage and allowing conspiracy theories to emerge, such as reports from Gaza claiming that Israel executed them."
"This left ample room for distorting the information, presenting the world with images as if the individuals were taken from their homes," he added.
"However, we cannot ignore that the photos have operational advantages: They show that Hamas is breaking. We should have first released images of the terrorist holding an AK-47 rifle. This would have contextualized the reports, indicating that terrorists surrender when no weapons are visible, rather than being perceived as if Israel is humiliating them. There's also an advantage in disseminating these images in Gaza. It could encourage more terrorists to surrender, and that's crucial."