Israeli social media users start trend mocking Gazan suffering

By Dildar Baykan Atalay

Numerous Israeli social media users have started a controversial trend mocking the plight of Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing attacks by the Israeli army on the besieged Gaza Strip.

As Israeli attacks intensified in Gaza, numerous posts from Israel surfaced on social media, making fun of the hardships faced by Palestinians, including shortages of water, electricity, fuel, and food in the enclave.

Israeli users initiated a new trend on social media, incorporating a song from a 2005 comedy program to create posts mocking the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

In several posts from some users, including Israeli soldiers, it was seen that they appeared in front of the camera by painting their faces, wearing headscarves and traditional Palestinian clothes in an attempt to mock the population of Gaza.

Several social media influencers also participated in the trend, and some of them were seen using laughing facial expressions while sharing images of the destruction in the Gaza Strip.

In a video, a woman and her two daughters mockingly cover their heads and dance to the lyrics: "This was my home, with no electricity or gas, was my home, and Ahmad's & Fatma's & Abed's & Salim's."

Another video features a man covering his head and dancing against the backdrop of collapsed buildings in Gaza, adding a disturbing dimension to the trend.

While these videos have garnered millions of views on social media, they have not escaped criticism.

Footages showing Israeli soldiers in the West Bank blindfolding and tying the hands of Palestinian captives, singing around them, and forcing the captives to sing along, sparked a trend on social media last month.

Similar images also surfaced, with some Knesset members also joining this trend.

In another incident, Israeli children, aged 6 to 12, were made to sing a song on World Children's Rights Day on Nov. 20, calling for the destruction of Gaza.

Despite facing backlash on social media, the song was removed from the platform where it was published but continued to circulate on various social media channels.