On October 21, CNN published an article focusing on the psychological trauma experienced by Israeli soldiers who participated in the invasion of the Gaza Strip. The piece did not mention that those it aimed to humanize had committed acts of murder, destroyed civilian infrastructure, and had even filmed themselves in the process.

The story, titled “Israeli soldiers returning from war struggle with trauma and suicide,” has faced significant backlash. Readers have criticized CNN for attempting to generate sympathy for combatants who, according to international law as well as overwhelming video evidence, are responsible for committing war crimes

The central focus of the article was the story of Eliran Mizrahi, a reserve soldier with the 271st Combat Engineering Battalion. Mizrahi took his own life after being injured by Palestinian resistance fighters. He was later diagnosed with PTSD.

CNN introduces Mizrahi as “a civilian for most of his life, working as a manager at an Israeli construction company. After witnessing the massacres committed by Hamas, he felt the need to fight.” This characterization was provided to CNN by the soldier’s mother, Jenny, who also speculated, “I wonder if my son killed someone and couldn’t handle it.”

In reality, Mizrahi lived in the Jewish-only illegal settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, located in the Palestinian West Bank, raising questions about the role his construction company may have played in building on occupied land in violation of international law. Mizrahi held the rank of Advanced Master Sergeant and was featured in an Israeli Channel 13 documentary titled “Back from Gaza,” which included videos of him singing, smiling, and laughing while participating in the destruction of civilian homes.

His childhood friend, Guy Zaken, who worked alongside Mizrahi as a D9 military bulldozer driver, testified before a Knesset committee that he and his crew “ran over hundreds of terrorists, dead and alive.”

“After Mizrahi took his own life, videos and photos surfaced on social media showing the reservist bulldozing homes and buildings in Gaza and posing in front of vandalized structures,” the CNN article states, adding that he had “purportedly” shared the content on his social media accounts. The article also quotes Mizrahi’s sister, Shir, who said the online backlash was “hard” and added, “I know he had a good heart.”

However, after reviewing the material cataloged on social media by Palestinian reporter Younis Tirawi, CNN’s characterization can be classified as false. The videos were uploaded online as early as December 2023, showing Mizrahi overlaying comical music onto footage of himself destroying civilian infrastructure and detonating homes with explosives.

Tirawi has meticulously documented numerous cases of Israeli soldiers posting videos in which they humiliate Palestinian civilians, destroy stores, burn buildings, and wear the lingerie of displaced and murdered women. He has also highlighted instances where soldiers add music to videos of themselves defecating in and destroying civilian homes. This widespread trend among Israeli soldiers has been described as a new form of “snuff film.”

In addition to this, both video evidence and the testimony of Mizrahi’s friend confirm that he not only participated in the mutilation of Palestinian bodies and the crushing of people alive, but also in the destruction of civilian infrastructure. A report published by Amnesty International states that the actions of D9 bulldozer drivers, such as Mizrahi, warrant a war crimes investigation.

“The Israeli military’s relentless campaign of ruin in Gaza is one of wanton destruction. Our research has shown how Israeli forces have obliterated residential buildings, forced thousands of families from their homes, and rendered their land uninhabitable,” said Amnesty’s Erika Guevara-Rosas.

Despite the reality carefully researched and documented by not only Amnesty International but by a preponderance of the world’s human rights organizations, CNN employed language that carefully constructed a sympathetic narrative around the mental health of a soldier engaged in actions that the World Court has acknowledged as a plausible case of genocide.

Critics argue that CNN’s story is emblematic of a broader trend of double standards within corporate media. For instance, the New York Times has reported on Israeli soldiers’ “panic attacks” as newsworthy yet has not offered similar mental health coverage for Lebanese or Palestinian civilians who are being killed and injured in large numbers.

Israel’s indiscriminate pager attack in Lebanon, which killed dozens and injured thousands, was praised and described as an act of ingenuity despite its targeting of innocent civilians. Former CIA Director Leon Panetta labeled it an act of terrorism. Yet, when Hezbollah launched a targeted drone strike against a military base, various media outlets referred to the four Israeli soldiers killed as “teenagers,” with Sky News solemnly announcing their names live.

In contrast, a recent Sky News presenter referred to a young Palestinian girl, shot by an Israeli soldier, as a “young lady” and stated that the bullet “found its way” into her.

Feature photo | A collage of photos taken from Eliran Mizrahi’s social media accounts documenting his time in Gaza

Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47

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