A gay Israeli soldier recently flew the LGBTQ flag on Gaza soil – fulfilling a self-made pledge to carry the rainbow flag of pride into battle against Hamas.
Yoav Atzmoni, 31, told The Post Sunday he was photographed holding a rainbow flag with the words “In The Name of Love” written across it while stationed in Gaza — in defiance of the territory’s deeply anti-gay laws and imposed rhetoric.
The images began circulating online over the weekend as some social media users expressed how the flag was a powerful statement given how LGBTQ people are oppressed in the strip under Hamas rule.
Atzmoni told Insider late last month that he hopes to display a pride flag on his tank and take it to Palestine.
“I remember as a child how important the flag was to me,” he told the outlet.
Yoav Atzmoni holds the LGBTQ+ flag in Gaza.Yoav Atzmoni
The soldier told The Post he got his wish two weeks ago — when a photo of him making the rounds online was taken in Al-Atatra in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Another photo he gave Insider showed him standing in front of a tank with an Israeli flag displaying the colors of the rainbow 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 approximately 1,200 Israelis, according to Insider.
Since then, Israel has retaliated against Hamas, launching a military campaign that has killed thousands of people in Gaza.
Atzmoni told the outlet that if Hamas wins, he fears he will lose the rights he fought for.
“I will not allow them to bring me back into the closet,” he said, insisting the flag represents the support Israel shows to the LGBTQ community.
Some anti-Israel protesters calling themselves “Queers for Palestine” have been mocked online, given the oppressive life LGBTQ people can face in Gaza.
“To all anti-Israel LGBTQ activists, the IDF sends greetings from Gaza!” Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad tweeted.
LGBTQ Palestinians living under Hamas rule deal with “severe persecution and isolation,” according to a 2022 UN Watch report.
Men are also banned from similar activities which can be punished with up to 10 years in prison, according to the Human Dignity Trust. The law dates back to the British Mandate Criminal Code Ordinance in 1936 and is still on the books today in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel began recognizing same-sex marriages performed abroad in 2006 and allowed adoption through surrogacy in 2020, Insider reported. Same-sex couples in Israel itself, however, cannot legally marry in the country.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
