Israeli army restricts media access, cites war crimes prosecution risk

The Israeli military has imposed new restrictions on media coverage of soldiers in active combat roles amid growing concerns about legal action against reservists traveling abroad over allegations of war crimes in Gaza.

The move follows an incident in which an Israeli reservist vacationing in Brazil abruptly left the country after a Brazilian judge ordered federal police to open an investigation. The order came after allegations from a pro-Palestinian group that the reservist had committed war crimes while serving in Gaza.

Under the new guidelines, media outlets are prohibited from displaying the full names or faces of soldiers ranked colonel and below during interviews, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, said. The policy mirrors existing restrictions for pilots and special forces personnel.

Interviewees also cannot be linked to specific combat events they participated in, Shoshani said.

The spokesperson noted that existing rules already prohibited soldiers from posting videos or images from war zones on social media, although enforcement has been imperfect. Soldiers also face longstanding restrictions and guidelines when traveling abroad.

Shoshani said activist groups, such as the Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation, were "connecting the dots" between soldiers who shared material from Gaza and later posted vacation photos online.

Last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri over alleged war crimes in Gaza, sparking outrage in Israel.