A gay Israeli soldier recently unfurled an LGBTQ flag on Gaza soil, fulfilling a promise he made to carry a rainbow pride flag into the battle against Hamas.
Yoav Atzmoni, 31, told The Post on Sunday that he posed for photographs holding a rainbow flag with the words “In the name of love” written on it while stationed in Gaza, defying the territory’s deep anti-gay laws and the imposed rhetoric.
Images began circulating online over the weekend when some social media users noted that the flag was a powerful statement considering how LGBTQ people are oppressed in the Strip under Hamas rule.
Atzmoni told Insider late last month that he hoped to display the pride flag on his tank and bring it to the Palestinians.
“I remember when I was a kid how important that flag was to me,” he told the outlet.
Yoav Atzmoni holding an LGBTQ+ flag in Gaza.Yoav Atzmoni
The soldier told the Post that he fulfilled his wishes two weeks ago, which was when the photos of him circulating online were taken in Al-Atatra, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Another photo he provided to Insider shows him standing in front of a tank with an Israeli flag that features rainbow colors at the top and bottom.
Atzmoni was called up to serve in the Israel Defense Forces following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on the Jewish state, which killed about 1,200 Israelis, according to Insider.
Israel has since retaliated against Hamas, launching a military campaign that has killed thousands of people in Gaza.
Atzmoni told the outlet that if Hamas is victorious, he fears losing the rights he worked so hard to fight for.
“I won’t let them put me back in the closet,” he said, emphasizing that the flag represents the support Israel shows to the LGBTQ community.
Some anti-Israel protesters who call themselves “Queers for Palestine” have been mocked online, considering the oppressive life LGBTQ people can face in Gaza.
“To all anti-Israel LGBTQ activists, the IDF sends greetings from Gaza!” tweeted Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad.
LGBTQ Palestinians living under Hamas rule face “severe persecution and ostracism,” according to a 2022 report by UN Watch.
Men are also prohibited from having same-sex relationships, which is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 10 years, according to the Human Dignity Trust. The laws date back to the British Mandate Penal Code Ordinance of 1936 and are still in force today in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel began recognizing same-sex marriages performed abroad in 2006 and allowed the adoption of children through surrogacy in 2020, Insider reported. However, same-sex couples in Israel itself cannot legally marry in the country.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn