‘Death to the IDF’ Trends on Twitter Amid Global Outrage Over Israeli Soldiers’ Actions in Gaza
Images of IDF Soldiers Spark Global Backlash
Social media erupted on Monday as #DeathToTheIDF began trending worldwide on Twitter (now X), following the circulation of disturbing images and videos showing Israeli soldiers in Gaza engaging in behavior widely condemned as degrading and dehumanizing.
Photos show IDF troops wearing dead Palestinian women’s clothing, riding bicycles belonging to slain children, smiling in front of destroyed buildings, and posing beside missiles marked with racist graffiti such as “Death to Arabs.” In other images, soldiers are seen signing munitions bound for Gaza, further fuelling anger over what critics are calling the “militarization of mockery.”
These visuals — shared by the soldiers themselves or leaked by whistleblowers — have shocked global audiences and reignited debates about war crimes and military accountability. Human rights groups and political commentators alike are questioning the international silence and selective outrage, especially as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise, with tens of thousands of Palestinians already killed.
IDF soldiers have been pictured in Gaza wearing dead women’s clothes, riding dead children’s bikes, posing in destroyed buildings with “Death to Arabs” graffitied on the walls, and signing missiles destined for Gaza
But we must not say “Death to the IDF” because it upsets them pic.twitter.com/iupK0oPWZJ
— Socialist Voice (@SocialistVoice) June 29, 2025
Why One Phrase Is a Red Line
Despite the horrifying visuals and growing accusations of inhumanity against the Israeli military, the phrase “Death to the IDF” has triggered disproportionate backlash in Western media and political circles. While “Death to Hamas” is widely accepted and echoed across press releases, rallies, and interviews, any criticism that resembles “Death to the IDF” is swiftly labeled as hate speech or antisemitism.
This double standard is not lost on users online, who are questioning why support for Palestinian lives continues to be policed more harshly than support for Israeli military actions — even when those actions include the destruction of hospitals, refugee camps, and schools.
A viral post reads: “They can kill children, destroy cities, and laugh about it online. But if we say ‘Death to the IDF,’ suddenly we’re the violent ones?”
Palestinian activists argue that the outrage over the phrase misses the bigger picture. “This isn’t about a slogan — this is about war crimes,” one post read. “The world is more uncomfortable with words than with genocide.”
Death to the IDF is trending worldwide..#DeathToTheIDF pic.twitter.com/iOo6Jo1XrF
— SilencedSirs◼️ (@SilentlySirs) June 30, 2025
Calls for Accountability Grow Louder
As the hashtag continues to trend, calls for international investigations into the Israeli military’s conduct in Gaza are growing louder. Legal experts and UN special rapporteurs have long warned that actions by IDF forces may amount to violations of international humanitarian law — particularly when civilian infrastructure and non-combatants are deliberately targeted or humiliated.
It’s perfectly reasonable to hate people who play dress-up in the lingerie of women they’ve murdered or displaced. #DeathToTheIDF pic.twitter.com/tX46PLefPr
— Nader (@BonsaiSky) June 30, 2025
In light of the latest visuals, several rights groups are urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expedite war crimes investigations and treat the documented IDF behavior with the same seriousness applied to other conflict zones.
“Chanting death to the IDF is antisemitic”
pic.twitter.com/nkoTLq3ujL— ADAM (@AdameMedia) June 29, 2025
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has not publicly responded to the leaked images or the trending hashtag, though past incidents of similar behavior have usually been dismissed as “isolated” or “unauthorized.”
For many around the world, the images from Gaza are too explicit to ignore — and the outrage too deep to silence. As one post summed it up: “It’s not just a war anymore. It’s a performance — and the world keeps clapping for the wrong side.”
