Israeli general's 'contempt for human life' led to widespread deaths in Gaza
Brigadier General Yehuda Vach accused by own troops of ruthlessness that cost Palestinian lives, as well as casualties amongst the Israeli army
The commander of Israel's 252nd Division has been accused by his own troops of "contempt for human life" leading to unnecessary deaths of soldiers and a push for ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza.
Soldiers speaking to Haaretz said Brigadier General Yehuda Vach's conduct had led directly to the deaths in August of eight soldiers in Zeitoun, a southern neighbourhood of Gaza City.
"He sent the soldiers in there without the necessary preparations on the ground and without ensuring that there were no bombs there," one said.
"A supply convoy either drove over a bomb or they were hit by an anti-tank missile."
A senior officer in Southern Command told Haaretz that the army launched an inquiry into the high number of soldiers killed in the Zeitoun assault.
The officer said preparations hadn't allowed the soldiers to enter the area with maximum security, with no engineering teams or sniffer dogs deployed to disarm bombs.
A number of other soldiers and officers also said Vach had acted rashly on a number of occasions.
Atrocities against Palestinians
Vach had already developed a reputation for brutality in Gaza, with Israeli media reports citing discomfort from his own troops about his attitudes and actions.
In another Haaretz report last month, one soldier recalled the general telling his subordinates that "there are no innocents in Gaza".
'[I]n the Middle East, victory comes through conquering territory. We must keep conquering until we win'
- Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, as recalled by Israeli soldier
"It wasn't just opinion - it became operational doctrine: everyone's a terrorist," said the soldier, adding that Vach also said that "in the Middle East, victory comes through conquering territory. We must keep conquering until we win".
Officers have told Haaretz that Vach had developed a worldview that saw the seizure of Palestinian land as a crucial punishment for the 7 October 2023 attack led by Hamas that left almost 1,200 dead and preceded the assault on Gaza.
During a briefing in summer 2024, Vach gave a PowerPoint presentation illustrating his goals in Gaza.
"At the end of the presentation was a slide about humanitarian aid and what our goals were," said one of the officers present.
"Suddenly he became fired up and explained that in his view, not one truck should enter - that we needed to make things hard on the convoys that entered and harass them. He also told his people to remove the slide on humanitarian aid from the presentation."
Israel's war on Gaza has so far resulted in the killing of at least 45,553 and the wounding of 108,379, with thousands more missing and presumed dead.
Forced starvation and constant Israeli bombardment has seen Gaza become the most dangerous place in the world for children, according to the UN.
Unicef spokesperson James Elder said at a press briefing in late December that there are no safe zones within the enclave, with hospitals, homes and shelters all being shelled.
The effects of the harsh weather conditions on Palestinians in Gaza have been exacerbated by the lack of humanitarian aid, forced displacement and worsening food insecurity.
Since the war began more than a year ago, Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza, restricting the entry of essential supplies such as food, water, electricity, medicine and tents.
Figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) show that the entire population of Gaza, which has fallen to 2.1 million people, is undergoing extreme levels of acute food insecurity.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-generals-contempt-human-life-led-widespread-deaths-gaza
posted by Satish Sharma at
14:23
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