Israeli soldiers seen joking & smoking before detained Palestinians, suspended

The Israeli army has suspended a group of soldiers over a video that shows them smoking a water pipe and joking in front of detained and blindfolded Palestinians.

The video, which was uploaded to social media, and has garnered millions of views in the past two days, shows the soldiers laughing and eating snacks as at least seven Palestinians are sitting blindfolded in a same room in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

It is not clear when the video was recorded but elements of the conversation suggest that it was since the start of the war in Gaza.

The Israeli military routinely conducts raids in Jenin, which in recent years has seen a revival of Palestinian militancy.

“The behavior of the soldiers in the videos is deplorable and stands in stark contrast to the values of the Israel Defence Forces,” an Israeli army spokesperson told The Associated Press. After a disciplinary hearing, the reserve duty soldiers were suspended until further notice, the spokesperson said.