The Israeli military is attempting to rehabilitate its image by disseminating erotic content. In these images, female Israeli soldiers are portrayed in a way that shifts viewers’ emotions toward sexual arousal.
According to a report by MintPress News, Israel is using sexual imagery as a tool to whitewash its crimes. This is being done through active social media accounts and media campaigns that showcase female soldiers in provocative poses.
A Deliberate Strategy
The report states that this phenomenon is not accidental but is part of an official Israeli government strategy. The goal is to divert attention from images of atrocities in Gaza and to attract young men through sexually charged content. In this content, Israel’s military identity is displayed with sexual allure to normalize the army’s crimes.
The report emphasizes that as the Israeli offensive continues, dozens of social media accounts affiliated with the Israeli military have been activated, each with hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers. The Israeli government has legitimized these accounts and uses them as a tool to “recruit young people.”
After the war began on October 7, 2023, most social media users witnessed the devastation of civilian areas in Gaza. However, at the same time, many young men encountered a different side of the Israeli army: accounts with names like “Israeli Army Girls” or “Hot Army Girls” that have large followings and post sexual content alongside military propaganda.
Famous Faces and Sensational Posts
Some female Israeli soldiers also have personal accounts. The most famous is Natalia Fadieev, who serves in the military police and goes by the alias “Gun Waifu.” She posts sexual images along with slogans in support of the Israeli regime and has attracted millions of followers. On TikTok alone, she had 2.7 million followers before her account was suspended.
Her content includes both hateful rhetoric against Muslims and claims that reports of Israeli atrocities are false. For example, she wrote, “Let’s go capture some Muslims,” and in another post, she asked her male followers, “Look into my eyes, do you really think I could commit a war crime?”
This sexual display isn’t limited to social media. Israeli media also uses provocative images when reporting the deaths of some female soldiers. For instance, an Israeli journalist published a memo about the death of Karin Wernikoff, who was killed in the October 7 attack, featuring a photo of her in tight athletic wear, sexually posing for the camera.
This image drew significant backlash. One user said, “Using her body to garner sympathy is a moral low,” while another wrote, “What kind of memorial is this that reminds us of a porn film?”
Official Endorsement and PR Campaigns
The idea of displaying provocative images and presenting female Israeli soldiers as a “sexual force” was an initiative of the Israeli government itself. In 2017, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched a public relations campaign to boost its image in the U.S. As part of this plan, it sought to collaborate with American partners to publish semi-pornographic images of female soldiers. This resulted in a partnership with the men’s magazine Maxim, which published articles with headlines like “Meet the Hot Female Israeli Soldiers Who Are Heating Up the Internet,” “See This Hot Israeli Girl Turned Swimsuit Model’s Instagram,” and “Hot Israeli Army Girls.”
David Dorfman, a media advisor for the Israeli Consulate in the U.S., explained the reason for this campaign: “Men of this age have no feeling towards Israel, and we consider this a problem. As a result, we came up with an idea that could attract them.”
Celebrity Engagements and Media Portrayals
Another effort by the Israeli army to improve its image was inviting famous American personalities to visit its female units. In 2017, the comedian Conan O’Brien traveled to Israel and filmed a segment training with female soldiers. Two years later, actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld also visited at the invitation of the Israeli government.
The use of sexual imagery was not confined to these platforms. Hebrew newspapers close to the power circle also published such images in obituaries for fallen soldiers. The Times of Israel published a provocative photo in a report on the death of Romi Eliyahu Bernat.
In another report on the death of Liraz Nissan, who was killed while fleeing the Supernova music festival, a semi-nude photo of her at age 20 was published.
Another example is Shani Louk, a young woman killed on October 7, 2023. When announcing her death, the Israeli government’s official Instagram page posted several erotic photos of her. These actions show that the government directly promotes such content.
Using Sexual Attraction to Recruit Jews
According to Israeli law, all Jews have the right to an Israeli passport and to immigrate to the country. To encourage this, the government arranges free trips to the occupied territories, each costing thousands of dollars. Before the trip, applicants’ beliefs are vetted to ensure they are not pro-Palestinian. To date, nearly one million young people have participated in these trips.
On these trips, a program called “Birthright” is run by the Israeli government. According to staff, this program actively encourages sexual relations between local Jews and visitors, even facilitating these encounters.
MintPress News reported that statistics show Jews who travel to the occupied territories through this program are 160% more likely to marry a Jewish partner. This policy also helps solve the Israeli “demographic problem.”
Alongside these encounters, participants are taught a distorted history of the Israeli state, visit important sites, and often meet with Netanyahu. Netanyahu has promised to allocate more than $100 million in government funding to support this program.
Sexualized Images on Dating Apps
Another way Israeli soldiers link military life with sexuality is by posting their photos on profiles on Israeli dating apps. According to one estimate, over a third of these profiles show men and women in Israeli army uniforms.
These images vary: some show soldiers in uniform, smiling and holding a weapon, while others show them looting Palestinian property, standing in front of destroyed buildings, enjoying the devastation of Gaza, and even intentionally vandalizing mosques.
Although this phenomenon has shocked many international observers, soldiers have become a highly sought-after commodity in the Israeli dating market. A reserve soldier told the newspaper Haaretz, “Ever since I started my reserve duty and uploaded my pictures in uniform, girls have been more interested in me. I feel like the uniform is like standing next to a Ferrari—it shows a person’s social status.”
A Widespread Public Relations Effort
Israel is not the only state that tries to increase support for its military by publishing provocative images; the U.S. does the same. However, the Israeli government openly and widely promotes these images, something the U.S. military does not do to the same extent.
Given that the Israeli regime sees Western support as essential for its colonial project, it heavily funds this propaganda method. As a result, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ public relations budget has increased by over 2,000% and now stands at $150 million. A portion of this budget is used to attract young people and create a sexualized image of soldiers.
MintPress News further noted that the impact of this campaign is unclear. Only 9% of Americans under 35 support Israel’s actions in Gaza, while this number is 49% for people over 55. This lack of support is also seen among young American Jews, most of whom considered Israel an “apartheid state” even before October 7, 2023.
This difference in opinion is rooted in the different media consumed by different generations. Older Americans who still trust newspapers and TV news support Israel, while younger generations, exposed to diverse opinions on social media, have moved away from this view.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the pro-Israel organization Anti-Defamation League, stated, “We have a big problem with TikTok.” This clear bias in favor of Israel led U.S. lawmakers to declare a ban on the platform last March.
In conclusion, despite all these sexual and corrupt tactics, such actions have not been able to stop the wave of negative sentiment toward the Israeli regime and its actions in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and other countries. MintPress News wrote: “It has become clear that you cannot use sexual attraction to absolve yourself of committing crimes.”