Israel’s Haaretz newspaper has published statements by Israel Defence Forces officers who have served in the Gaza Strip, exposing the crimes committed by soldiers, especially at the Netzarim checkpoint.
The commander of the 252nd Division, for example, described the Netzarim axis as a “killing zone”, and stressed that anyone who enters the area is shot. He said there is a line known as the “line of corpses” along the axis, which the people of the Gaza Strip know well.
A reserve officer who served in Netzarim confirmed that the orders were to shoot anyone who crossed the border, with the head targeted immediately. He also admitted that soldiers and commanders were responsible for a large part of the terror in Gaza, describing it as “a place without laws, where human life has no value.”
Another Israeli army officer confirmed that the bodies of Palestinians who are killed at the Netzarim axis are left for stray dogs to eat; the bodies are photographed and the pictures are sent to army command. He noted that out of the 200 bodies photographed, only 10 were found to belong to Hamas members.
Israeli officers and soldiers revealed that there are competitions and challenges between military units in Gaza to kill the largest number of Palestinians. Soldiers, they said, act like an “independent armed militia without laws.”
One Israeli officer said that Israeli society needs to know the truth about what is happening in Gaza and what he described as the “dangerous actions” of some officers and soldiers during military operations.
The Haaretz exposé is expected to spark yet more international condemnation of Israel’s ongoing violations against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, amid demands for urgent investigations and accountability for those responsible for these crimes.
