A gay Israeli soldier recently unfurled an LGBTQ flag on Gaza soil – making good on a self-made vow to bring a rainbow pride flag into battle against Hamas.
Yoav Atzmoni, 31, told The Post Sunday he posed for photos holding up a rainbow flag with the words “In The Name of Love” written across it while stationed in Gaza — in defiance of the territory’s deep anti-gay laws and imposed rhetoric.
The images began circulating online over the weekend as some social media users noted how the flag was a powerful statement considering how LGBTQ people are oppressed in the strip under Hamas rule.
Atzmoni told Insider late last month he hoped to display the pride flag on his tank and bring it to Palestinians.
“I remember as a child how important that flag was for me,” he told the outlet.
Yoav Atzmoni holding an LGBTQ+ flag in Gaza.
Yoav Atzmoni
The soldier told The Post he fulfilled his wishes two weeks ago — which is when the photos of him that are making the rounds online were taken in the Al-Atatra in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Another photo he provided Insider shows him standing in front of a tank with a flag of Israel which features rainbow colors at the top and bottom.
Atzmoni was called up to serve in the Israel Defense Forces following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack against the Jewish state, which killed about 1,200 Israelis, according to Insider.
Since then, Israel has retaliated against Hamas, launching a military campaign that has killed thousands in Gaza.
Atzmoni told the outlet that if Hamas is victorious, he fears he will lose his hard-fought rights.
“I won’t let them bring me back into the closet,” he said, stressing the flag represents the support Israel shows the LGBTQ community.
Some anti-Israel protesters who call themselves “Queers for Palestine” have been mocked online, considering the oppressive life LGBTQ people in Gaza can face.
“To all the anti-Israel LGBTQ activists, the IDF sends regards from Gaza!” Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad tweeted.
LGBTQ Palestinians living under Hamas rule deal with “severe persecution and ostracism,” according to a 2022 UN Watch’s report.
Men are also banned from same-sex activity punishable by a prison sentence of up to 10 years, according to the Human Dignity Trust. The laws date back to the British Mandate Criminal Code Ordinance in 1936 and are still on the books today in Gaza.
Israel meanwhile began recognizing same-sex marriages performed abroad in 2006 and allowed adopting children via surrogacy in 2020, Insider reported. Same-sex couples in Israel itself however cannot get legally married in the country.
