Israeli soldiers testify to shocking details of ‘free-for-all violence’ in Gaza

 In a disturbing exposé that sheds light on the Israeli military’s conduct in Gaza, +972 Magazine has published testimonies from six Israeli soldiers who paint a grim picture of unchecked violence and wanton destruction. This revelation comes on the heels of the magazine’s earlier report on Israel’s use of AI to generate targets in Gaza, further underscoring the increasingly indiscriminate nature of the assault on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The soldiers, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, described a near-total absence of rules in their conduct in Gaza where the occupation state is under investigation by the International Court of Justice following an allegation of genocide. Troops are given carte blanche to shoot as they please, set homes ablaze and leave corpses strewn across the landscape, all with their commanders’ tacit or explicit approval.

One reservist, identified only as S, recounted the chilling normality of unnecessary violence: “People want to experience the event [fully]. I personally fired a few bullets for no reason, into the sea or at the sidewalk or an abandoned building. They report it as ‘normal fire’, which is a codename for ‘I’m bored, so I shoot.'”

This cavalier attitude towards lethal force is not isolated.

Another soldier, B, who served in the regular forces in Gaza for months, including time in his battalion’s command centre, described the atmosphere of impunity: “There was total freedom of action. If there is [even] a feeling of threat, there is no need to explain — you just shoot.”

The testimonies reveal a disturbing erosion of the distinction between combatants and civilians. Soldier B explained that, “Every man between the ages of 16 and 50 is suspected of being a terrorist,” effectively turning a large number of Gaza’s male population into potential targets.

Perhaps most alarmingly, the soldiers described how the ability to shoot without restrictions became a way to alleviate boredom or blow off steam. Yuval Green, a 26-year-old reservist who was willing to be named, recounted a particularly chilling incident during Hanukkah. “The whole battalion opened fire together like fireworks, including tracer ammunition [which generates a bright light]. It made a crazy colour, illuminating the sky, and because [Hanukkah] is the ‘festival of lights’, it became symbolic.”

The testimonies also reveal a systematic policy of setting Palestinian homes on fire after occupying them. Green personally witnessed two such cases, one an independent initiative by a soldier and the other acting on orders from a commanding officer. “Before you leave, you burn down the house — every house,” B confirmed. “This is backed up at the battalion commander level. It’s so that [Palestinians] won’t be able to return.”

The scale of destruction described by the soldiers is staggering. Green stated that his unit “destroyed everything we wanted to,” adding, “This is not out of a desire to destroy, but out of total indifference to everything that belongs to [Palestinians].”

The landscape left in the wake of this destruction is horrifying.

S described an area “full of bodies” with “dogs walking around with rotting body parts” and a “horrific smell of death.” Before the arrival of international aid convoys, bodies are cleared away hastily with bulldozers, buried under rubble or pushed aside to avoid images of advanced decay reaching the outside world.

These revelations come as no surprise to those who have been closely following Israel’s conduct in Gaza.  The use of AI to generate targets, as previously reported by +972 Magazine, has already raised serious concerns about the indiscriminate nature of Israel’s assault. Now, with these soldier testimonies, we see the human face of this technological warfare, a face marked by callousness, boredom and a disturbing detachment from the value of Palestinian life.

The implications of these revelations could be far-reaching as Israeli leaders face an International Criminal Court (ICC) probe as well as the genocide case. These revelations not only contradict Israel’s claims of conducting a precise, targeted military operation but also raise serious questions about potential war crimes. The deliberate targeting of civilians, the wanton destruction of civilian property and the failure to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants are all grave violations of international humanitarian law.

Moreover, these testimonies expose the deep-seated dehumanisation of Palestinians that permeates the Israeli military apparatus. The casual manner in which soldiers describe shooting at civilians, burning homes and treating Gaza as a “souvenir shop” reveals a profound moral crisis within the Israel Defence Forces.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240709-israeli-soldiers-testify-to-shocking-details-of-free-for-all-violence-in-gaza/