Israeli journalist arrested after celebrating death of 'war criminal' soldiers in Gaza

An Israeli journalist was arrested on Wednesday after publicly celebrating the death of five soldiers in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army said that five soldiers were killed and 14 others injured in a Hamas ambush in the northern town of Beit Hanoun on Monday.

“The world is a better place this morning, without five young men who partook in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity,” Israel Frey said on his personal X account.

“Unfortunately, for the boy in Gaza now being operated on without anesthesia, the girl starving to death, and the family huddling in a tent under bombardment — this is not enough,” he said.

“This is a call to every Israeli mother: Do not be the next to receive your son in a coffin as a war criminal. Refuse.”

Israeli police said on Tuesday that they opened a criminal investigation against the journalist on suspicion of incitement to terrorism.

According to Israeli Channel 12, Frey was known for his anti-war stance and refusal to serve in the Israeli army.

In a separate incident, a Jewish lawmaker from the Arab majority Hadash-Ta'al Party was suspended from the Knesset (Israel's parliament) for two months for his criticism of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

According to the public broadcaster KAN, Ofer Cassif's suspension and his two-week pay cut resulted from his positions, including submitting a formal appeal to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the prosecution of senior Israeli officials on charges of committing war crimes in Gaza.

Cassif said that his suspension is part of a campaign to silence voices revealing the truth about the war crimes in Gaza.

“Fascism in Israel, the genocide in Gaza, the occupation and ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank are all linked and together form a terrifying mosaic of a despicable system of terror," he said.

The lawmaker had previously been suspended from the Knesset for six months due to his criticism of the Israeli occupation and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

"We will never surrender, and we will not remain silent. We will continue to raise our voice, Jews and Arabs, in true partnership, against all war criminals,” he said.

The Israeli army has killed nearly 57,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.