Haaretz just revealed, based on conversations with soldiers, that commanders instructed them to fire at crowds near the GHF aid distribution centers to drive them away — even when it was clear the crowds posed no danger. Here’s how the soldiers described the horrific scenes:
“In the place where I was, between one and five people were killed every day. They’re fired upon as if they were an attacking force: no crowd-dispersal methods are used, no tear gas — they shoot with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade machine guns, mortars
And then, when they open the armored personnel carrier, they stop shooting, and the crowd knows it’s safe to approach. We communicate with them through fire״. He added:
“A combat brigade has no tools to operate against a civilian population in a combat zone. Firing mortars to drive away hungry people is neither professional nor humane. I know there are Hamas members among them, but there are also people who simply want to receive aid.”
Another soldier said: “This has become routine. You know it’s wrong. You feel that it’s wrong, that the commanders here are taking the law into their own hands. But Gaza is a parallel universe — you move on quickly. The truth is, most people don’t even stop to think about it.”
“Basically, we’re supposed to fire warning shots to drive them away (…) but recently, firing shells has become standard procedure. Every time we fire like this, there are casualties and deaths, and when you ask why a shell is necessary, there are never any smart answers”
We’ve been tracking the immense number of casualties and injuries around the GHF aid distribution centers and have heard the people on the ground reveal the horrors. But these Soldiers’ testimonies expose a policy of violence and a systematic disregard for civilian life.
Insane reveal by @haaretzcom @yanivkub @bar_peleg Source: https://www.haaretz.co.il/news...