The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that attempts to depict Palestinian soccer players killed during the war as innocent civilians are 'part of a broader effort promoted by various actors against the State of Israel.' The statement follows the release of a list of 12 terror operatives earlier Wednesday.
On Wednesday evening, the Israel Defense Forces framed its earlier disclosure of Gaza soccer players, referees, and coaches as terror operatives as part of a broader response to what it called a coordinated campaign against Israel. In a statement issued at 20:45 Jerusalem, the military said attempts to portray the killed individuals as innocent civilians are 'part of a broader effort promoted by various actors against the State of Israel.' The statement follows the release of a list of 12 operatives earlier in the evening.
At 18:29 Jerusalem, the IDF published a list of 12 Palestinian terror operatives who had been publicly presented as soccer players. The list included a FIFA international assistant referee, a captain of Shabab Khan Younis who participated in the October 7, 2023 attack, and a coach who was a platoon commander in Rafah. The IDF later expanded the disclosure to include referees and coaches, confirming they were Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives. The Zioneer reported on the initial disclosure at 19:04 Jerusalem.
The IDF's latest statement echoes a broader pattern documented by The Zioneer. As The Zioneer reported on June 22, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have acknowledged through obituaries that several figures previously identified as journalists were in fact members of their military wings. The military has also previously stated that it operates preemptively across all theaters, removing threats before they become attacks.
The list of 12 operatives has not been independently verified by third-party sources. The IDF's claim that the civilian narrative is part of a coordinated campaign remains an assertion by the military, without independent corroboration.
11 developments
- DevelopingIDF Eliminates 4 Islamic Jihad Commanders in Gaza Strike
- StrongIDF says it killed 12 terrorists in Gaza, including senior Hamas figures and Oct. 7 Nukhba cell commander
- DevelopingIDF kills two Hamas operatives who carried out October 7 massacre in precision strikes
- StrongIDF kills four Hamas commanders including Oct. 7 infiltration leader and naval police chief
Source and signal
- Internal intake