Israeli Soldiers Shoot-to-Kill Civilians – Haaretz Probe

Israeli soldiers and officers have exposed shocking practices by the Israeli army in Gaza, where Israeli soldiers have created a line of corpses in northern Gaza. According to a Haaretz investigation, soldiers shoot to kill anyone crossing invisible “red lines,” even unarmed civilians or children. These actions are part of what some soldiers call a “kill zone,” where every death is counted as eliminating a “terrorist.”

A “Line of Corpses” and Dog Packs

Commanders from Division 252 described an unmarked “line of corpses” in northern Gaza near Netzarim Road. Bodies are often left uncollected, attracting packs of stray dogs. “In Gaza, people know to avoid areas where they see packs of dogs,” one officer explained. The Israeli army officially denies the existence of such zones, yet commanders in the field enforce this deadly boundary.

A soldier recalled, “Anyone crossing this line is shot. The bodies stay where they fall. It’s become a grim reality.” Civilians, including children, have reportedly been killed in this manner.

Civilians Counted as “Terrorists”

Another soldier shared disturbing accounts of how unarmed civilians are often labeled as terrorists after being killed. “We kill civilians, but the reports always count them as terrorists,” the soldier admitted. This misrepresentation feeds a culture of competition among Israeli military units, where killing the most “terrorists” is rewarded. “If one division killed 150, another tries to hit 200,” he said.

One soldier recounted a chilling incident involving a 16-year-old boy who was identified as a ‘threat’. “We riddled him with bullets, took pictures, and later learned he wasn’t a terrorist—just a kid,” the soldier said. The unit commander, however, congratulated the soldiers, dismissing objections. “To them, anyone who crosses the line is a terrorist,” the soldier added.

In another case, four unarmed Palestinians were spotted near a tank. Soldiers opened fire, killing three. The fourth man, who surrendered, was stripped, humiliated, and briefly interrogated before being released. “He was just trying to visit relatives in northern Gaza,” a soldier explained.

Orders to Shoot Despite White Flags

Several testimonies mentioned incidents where Palestinians waved white flags, signaling surrender or non-combatant status. “We saw two figures waving a white flag near Nahal Gaza,” one soldier recalled. Despite protests from a commander who argued they might be Israeli prisoners, a superior ordered “fire to kill.” Ultimately, the individuals retreated, avoiding death.

“No Laws in Gaza”

Soldiers describe Gaza as a place where normal rules do not apply. “We’ve spent over a year in a lawless environment where human life means nothing,” said a senior commander. Soldiers admitted to acting like an “armed militia” without oversight or accountability. One officer commented on the power given to field commanders, who now authorize strikes that previously required top-level approval.

Many soldiers expressed internal conflicts over their actions. “This war isn’t just killing Palestinians—it’s destroying us too,” said one reservist. Soldiers who voiced objections were often silenced or ridiculed. “If I’m called back to Gaza, I don’t think I’ll go,” he admitted according to Quds News Network.

CrossFireArabia

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

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Dancing Over Their Graves

(Crossfirearabia.com) – An Israeli soldier rampages a typical Palestinian house in Gaza and proceeds to take a selfie of himself in different positions while wearing the undergarments of women since made into internal refugees whilst laughing about the fact.

This Israel war on Gaza has become a playground for Israeli soldiers. Thousands of selfies, maybe hundreds of thousands were made by Israeli soldiers going into the leftover of Palestinian houses which they destroyed and wrecked havoc to the belongings of long-chased-away Palestinians.

They would occupy these houses and/or their remains and make themselves comfortable were many of them would then enter the bedrooms and take selfies of themselves whilst trying on the bras, underwear, negligees of women forced to flee their homes under Israeli bombardment from the air and through tanks.

It has been a heartache and deep sorrow for many Palestinians who have been killed on a mass skill and/or who found themselves in makeshift tents as refugees.

Many a time during this war/genocide, the Palestinian resistance would booby-trap these houses and would explode in the faces of these soldiers.

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Targeting Journalists Israeli Style

“After losing my leg in the war, I returned to photojournalism not just for work, but because I have loved photography since childhood,” said Palestinian reporter Sami Shahada.

Mr. Shahada lost his leg due to a severe injury he suffered in Nuseirat in central Gaza in April 2024, but he picked up his camera and returned to document the tragic events that have been unfolding in Gaza.

He will not let his disability stop him from working. “It is impossible for me to leave photojournalism, even if I face all these obstacles,” he said.

Ahead of World Press Freedom Day marked annually on 3 May which focuses on the role of media to highlight accountability, justice, equality, and human rights, our UN News correspondent in Gaza spoke with Palestinian journalists, documenting the risks and personal traumas they face reporting from the war-torn enclave.

War has devastated Gaza.

© UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

War has devastated Gaza.

Since the war began following the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel an increasing number of journalists have been killed or injured in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis has engulfed the enclave.

Bearing witness

On one leg, leaning on crutches, Sami Shahada stands behind his camera, wearing his blue press jacket, working amongst the rubble of destruction with colleagues.

“I witnessed all the crimes that happened, and then the moment came when I was a witness to a crime that was perpetrated against me,” he told UN News.

Sami Shehadeh looks at a video of the moment he was injured in Gaza in April 2024.

UN News

Sami Shehadeh looks at a video of the moment he was injured in Gaza in April 2024.

“I was a field journalist, carrying a camera in an open area and wearing a helmet and a jacket which identified me as a journalist, yet I was directly targeted.”

That incident marked a turning point in his life. “I did not need help from anyone before, now I need help,” adding that “I have the determination and persistence to overcome this new reality. This is how we journalists must work in Gaza.”

Working the streets

Journalist Mohammed Abu Namous is another of these journalists.

Filming with one of his colleagues in the rubble of a destroyed building in Gaza City he said: “While the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day, Palestinian journalists remember their workplaces which were destroyed in the war.”

“The minimum we need to carry out our journalistic work is electricity and the internet, but many do not have this, so we resort to commercial shops that provide the internet. The streets are now our offices.”

Palestinian journalist Mohammed Abu Namous and his colleague cover the impact of the war in Gaza.

UN News

Palestinian journalist Mohammed Abu Namous and his colleague cover the impact of the war in Gaza.

He believes that Palestinian journalists have been targeted during the Israeli occupation of Gaza and said that media workers must be protected “whether they work in Palestine or elsewhere in the world.”

Voices not silenced by death of loved ones

Journalist Moamen Sharafi said he lost members of his family in an Israeli bombing in northern Gaza, but despite “the many negative impacts on a personal, social, and humanitarian level, professionally nothing has changed.”

He was determined to carry on working, he explained, as he was due to live broadcast from the streets of Gaza City.

Palestinian journalist, Moamen Sharafi (right,) lost several family members during the current war that started in October 2023.

UN News

Palestinian journalist, Moamen Sharafi (right,) lost several family members during the current war that started in October 2023.

“We have become more determined to continue our work and uphold our professional values and perform our mission with humanity to the world,” he continued, “in order to convey the reality of what is happening on the ground inside Gaza, specifically the humanitarian situation, and the impact on children, women and the elderly who suffer greatly.”

UN News

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