A TikTok by Israeli soldier Golda Daphna, who shares content under the username gold.a.star, is sparking intense criticism amidst the ongoing war in Palestine.
Daphna, who also blogs for The Times of Israel, posted a video about her relationship with her boyfriend, who is also a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
However, the post, intended to reflect a personal love story, has drawn widespread mockery and condemnation, given the context of the violent conflict and accusations of war crimes involving the IDF.
A “Zone of Pinterest” Comparison
Some viewers have likened Daphna’s TikTok to The Zone of Interest, a 2023 film by Jonathan Glazer that explores the family life of Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss, who lived just outside the Auschwitz concentration camp.
One user on X (formerly Twitter) riffed on this connection, calling Daphna’s video “the zone of pinterest,” after another user referred to TikTok as “one of the most evil things I’ve seen in a minute.”
The Controversial TikTok
Set to Chappell Roan’s song “Casual,” Daphna’s TikTok shows a slideshow of her relationship, opening with a photo of her and her boyfriend, whose face is obscured.
The video is captioned, “Casual things my man and I did before we started dating,” but quickly cuts to a more somber tone with the text, “There is no casual in war.”
Daphna goes on to share how she met her boyfriend when he left a battlefield, describing moments like their third date, where he had to leave for a mission.
“I began to cry, and he kissed my forehead. I was his girlfriend a week later.”
She wrote.
She continues by sharing more details about their relationship, including how he drove out of Rafah at 4 a.m. to be with her after her basic training.
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Raising Eyebrows and Criticism
The mention of her boyfriend driving out of Rafah, a location that has been the site of violence, raised serious concerns from viewers. One commenter asked, “He drove out of Rafah at 4 a.m. to hug you… what was he doing there?”
@gold.a.star I’d honestly delete this app but I have so many drafts. Take care guys 💕 It’s okay to not be okay
♬ original sound – The Gold Life
Others were more direct, with one person stating, “Hugging his girlfriend after burying the people of Rafah under rubble.”
The criticism is especially pointed because Rafah had been designated as a safe zone for Palestinian civilians, but has since seen reports of air strikes and tank shelling that have killed dozens.
Amnesty International has documented these attacks, adding fuel to the outrage surrounding Daphna’s video.
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Other Posts and Response
Since the backlash, Daphna has shared additional videos, some of her in military uniform, as well as more cryptic posts hinting at personal struggles.
In one TikTok titled “A Life Update,” she speaks emotionally but vaguely, saying things like, “I messed up, I was stupid, and suddenly everything was gone.”
Viewers have continued to engage with her, with one commenter offering support by saying, “A real partner will accept you even when you fall and mess up.” Daphna replied, “Relationships are built on forgiveness.”
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A Controversial Tale
Daphna’s video may have been intended as a personal reflection on love during wartime, but it has been widely interpreted as tone-deaf and insensitive, given the current conflict.
The criticism, rooted in both the personal and political, suggests that in times of war, what might seem like a simple love story can easily take on a much larger, more controversial meaning.