Photo: Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has been accused of mistreatment of Palestinians after a spate of recent incidents.
Earlier this week, an Israeli strike in Gaza City killed four people, including an aid worker who had set up multiple World Cup viewing sites, and two children.
Also this week, aid group World Central Kitchen said the IDF killed one of its drivers just inside the Gaza border.
It came days after an Israeli soldier’s photo of a Palestinian man, bound and blindfolded in his underwear in IDF custody, circulated online.
The IDF says it is reviewing or investigating each incident.
Background
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025, which largely paused the war that began after Hamas’ 7 October attack on Israel in 2023.
The ceasefire has been repeatedly strained: Israel has continued strikes that the UN says have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, and Palestinian militants have killed several Israeli soldiers in attacks inside Gaza.
The incidents in this post have all unfolded in that context, over the past week.
Taxi strike
On Tuesday, the IDF struck a taxi carrying 57-year-old aid worker Mohammed al-Wahidi in Gaza City. The strike killed three other people: another man in the taxi and two children who were nearby.
Al-Wahidi held a senior role in the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza, working to deliver food and aid and set up humanitarian camps. He had recently established World Cup viewing sites in Gaza, and was on his way to one when the IDF struck the taxi.
The IDF told CBS News the strike was targeting “a terrorist in Hamas’ military wing,” that it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals,” and that the incident was under review.
Border crossing
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On Wednesday, Ahmad Nasser Saleem - whose name has also been reported as Ahmad Esleem - was moving aid into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, on the Israel-Gaza border.
He was driving for a logistics company delivering food for World Central Kitchen (WCK), an aid group that provides meals to communities affected by conflict and natural disasters.
Witnesses told The Guardian one truck in Ahmad’s convoy broke down shortly after crossing into Gaza. They said IDF soldiers told drivers to get out of their trucks, and began speaking to Ahmad in Hebrew, a language he didn’t speak.
The Association of Transport Companies in Gaza’s deputy head Jihad Esleem told The Guardian that Ahmad raised his hands “in surrender,” at which point an Israeli soldier shot him in the head.
The IDF told The Guardian the drivers had left their trucks “contrary to established procedures,” and that one driver “ran toward the troops”. It said soldiers then followed a “suspect apprehension protocol” and, “after perceiving an immediate threat... opened fire”. It said the incident was under review.
WCK has said it “expects a full accounting of what happened.” It comes more than two years after the IDF killed seven WCK workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom.
Image
Last week, an X account with the username @tamerqdh posted an image of a man who was tied up face down and blindfolded, in his underwear, and strapped to a wooden and metal pole.
The image had Hebrew text on it saying “good morning”. The X user said it was a Palestinian man who Israeli soldiers had kidnapped from Gaza.
The account later posted another version of the image that appeared to be from an Instagram story with a user whose profile picture showed a man in army gear.
An IDF spokesperson confirmed the authenticity of the photo to The Guardian and The New York Times. They said the image was taken by an Israeli soldier, and that an investigation is underway.
The spokesperson said it “does not align with IDF values and regulations”.
Under international humanitarian law, anyone held in custody during a conflict must be treated humanely. It is illegal to torture, degrade, or humiliate them, whatever their status.
The Geneva Conventions, which bind all sides in any conflict, prohibit “cruel treatment and torture” and “outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment” of anyone no longer fighting or in custody.
