After an image of an Israeli soldier striking a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in Lebanon went viral, the Israeli foreign minister has confirmed the image is real and also apologized. However, the attack on the Christian statue has morphed into an international incident, with Poland’s foreign minister wading into the debate, sparking a sharp back-and-forth war of words on X.
After images of the incident went viral, Israel responded. Calling the damage caused by an IDF soldier to the statue in Lebanon “grave and disgraceful,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar added that the “ugly act” was “contrary to our values” and that the soldier responsible would face consequences.
Photo currently circulating on social media which appears to show a soldier with the Israel Defense Force striking and destroying a statue of Jesus Christ on the cross using a sledgehammer during recent operations in the Christian town of Debel in Southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/Gz05heyIy4
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 19, 2026“Israel is a country that respects the different religions and their sacred symbols, and upholds tolerance and respect among faiths. We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt,” he posted.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski was not satisfied. “It’s good that Minister Sa’ar apologized quickly; there was something to apologize for. That soldier should be punished, but lessons should also be drawn regarding the way they are being trained. IDF soldiers themselves admit to war crimes. They killed not only civilian Palestinians but even their own hostages,” he posted on X.
Dobrze, że minister Sa'ar szybko przeprosił, było za co.
Należy ukarać tego żołnierza ale i wyciągnąć wnioski wobec sposobu w jaki są formowani.
Żołnierze IDF sami przyznają się do zbrodni wojennych. Zabijali nie tylko cywilnych Palestyńczyków ale nawet własnych zakładników. https://t.co/rhioH8XPMT
— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) April 20, 2026Sikorski is referring to the three Israeli hostages being held in Gaza who were killed by IDF soldiery by mistake back in 2023, despite the man having hung white flags and a message for help. The Israeli military later admitted the killings were due to the soldiers having broken “rules of engagement” in firing on those who were unarmed and surrendered.
Sikorski’s comments led to respond, writing: “I strongly reject your unfounded, and defamatory statements against the IDF.”
In his post, he stated that Israel is a professional and ethical army and no army does not more to minimize civilian casualties. He added that “I suggest that instead of preaching morality to others, you personally condemn the disgraceful antisemitic display we saw in the Polish parliament last week,” referring to a Polish politician unfurling an Israeli flag with a swastika in the middle of it.
I strongly reject your unfounded, and defamatory statements against the IDF.
What you wrote reflects ignorance and a deep lack of understanding.
In every war, there are operational accidents, including cases where a military force is harmed by its own fire. Unfortunately, in… https://t.co/nVK6hxkW5f
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) April 20, 2026Sikorski then responded: “I condemned the antisemitic incident by a far-right member of our parliament the day it happened. He has been disciplined by the Speaker. As for the rest, if this doesn’t move you to make changes to your soldiers’ training, I cannot help you.”
Sikorski posted a link to Israeli outlet Haaretz describing firsthand accounts from an Israeli soldier who described brutal war crimes that took place in Gaza.
In addition to Sikorski, Ayman Odeh, a Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, wrote: “We’ll wait to hear the police spokesperson claim that ‘the soldier felt threatened by Jesus.'”
“Those who bomb mosques and churches in Gaza, and those who spit on Christian clergy in the alleys of Jerusalem with impunity, are not afraid to destroy a statue of Jesus Christ and publicize it,” wrote Ahmad Tibi, another Palestinian member of the Knesset, on Facebook. He then noted in another post that the soldier in the photo had posted it to his own Instagram account.
“The US administration has called for action to be taken because of this heinous act. We reiterate that this is not an isolated incident; it is a recurring pattern of attacks against religious symbols of all faiths. But what about the killing of innocent people?” Tibi asked.
Al Jazeera noted some disturbing facts about the desecration of Christians and Christian symbols by Jews in Israel. “The Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC) documented at least 201 incidents of violence against Christians, primarily committed by Orthodox Jews targeting international clergy or individuals displaying Christian symbols, between January 2024 and September 2025.”
“The majority of these incidents, which included multiple forms of harassment, including spitting, verbal abuse, vandalism and assaults, took place in Jerusalem’s Old City, located in occupied East Jerusalem,” the portal added.
Despite U.S. Ambassador to israel Mike Huckabee demanding “swift, severe, & public consequences,” the comments below his post on X offered up other incidents of similar anti-Christian and anti-civilian violence by Israel, with one indicating that some IDF soldiers who have committed war crimes can easily flee to America to hide given their dual citizenship.
