Mass surrenders: Videos of fighters surrendering appear online
11:49 AM EST, December 10, 2023
Dozens of Hamas members have reportedly surrendered their weapons to Israeli soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces. A video on social media shows men, purported to be fighters, down to their underwear, with one handing over his rifle on camera.
The leaked footage, originating from the northern Gaza strip on Saturday, displays a group of dozens of men stripped to their undergarments, each holding their documents. A man emerges from behind them, carrying a rifle above his head and a detached magazine. Approaching a wall, he places his weapon there and reverts to the queue.
All the while, an Israeli soldier is shown issuing instructions in Arabic through a megaphone. "Slowly, slowly," directs the soldier to the man with the rifle, as reported by The Times of Israel.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari affirmed to journalists that numerous Hamas members surrendered in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. He mentioned that they disclosed intelligence information regarding the modus operandi of the terror group.
"Terrorists in Shejaiya and Jabaliya who surrendered handed over weapons and equipment," stated Hagari, referencing the video.
The IDF spokesman also revealed that the surrendered individuals are subsequently interrogated. "The operatives complain about the leaders of Hamas being disconnected from reality, oblivious to their grave predicament," Hagari added.
A sign of system collapse
Several recently shared social media photos showcase dozens of Palestinian men confined by the Israeli Defense Forces. "The army spokesman stated that they are interrogating all individuals in the region who surrendered post-combat," The Times of Israel reports.
Military officials have declared that Hamas fighters are progressively surrendering to Israeli forces across different parts of the Gaza Strip as well.
"Every day, we see our accomplishments. Daily we witness increasing numbers of killed and injured terrorist operatives, and in the recent days, we've been observing terrorists surrendering - this is indicative of system collapse, a sign that we need to exert more pressure," expressed IDF Chief of Staff, General Herzi Halevi.
How was the video recorded?
Observers on social media have noticed that the video featuring the surrender of alleged Hamas fighters appeared to have been shot multiple times. Two versions can be found online.
In one version, the man surrendering holds the rifle with his left hand, while in the other, he uses his right. Commentators have emphasized the propagandist value of such materials for Israel.
