Ghost Town: 70% of Jabalia Homes Reduced to Rubble
CrossFireArabia- December 22, 2024
Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza has become a “ghost town” due to Israel’s relentless attacks, with 70 percent of the camp’s buildings completely destroyed, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Haaretz, which briefly had access to the camp in besieged northern Gaza, said in a report on Sunday that the number is an estimate by the Israeli army.
None of the army’s other operations in Lebanon and other parts of Gaza “can compare, in the scale of the destruction, to what has happened over the last two and a half months” in the camps.
“As far as the eye can see lie miles and miles of destroyed homes. It’s hard to look away from the devastated remains of Jabalia’s refugee camp in northern Gaza,” Amos Harel, a military affairs analyst, wrote in Haaretz.
“I could see that even the few buildings that are still standing were badly damaged,” Harel said.
“The IDF (army) operated here twice before, in December 2023 and May 2024. But this time, the camp was taken apart,” Amos said.
“Jabalia has become a ghost town. Outside, you mainly see pack after pack of stray dogs roaming around and hunting for scraps of food.”
According to the army’s data, quoted by Haaretz, some 96,000 Palestinian civilians were forcibly displaced from the densely populated camp during the military’s operation.
Haaretz added, citing the army, that more than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed and roughly 1,500 have been arrested in the camp over the same period.
The army claims most of the people killed in the camp were armed, the report also said according to the Quds News Network.
Jabalia Destroyed Due to Israeli Bombs
- CrossFireArabia
- December 22, 2024
Contrary to the false statements by Israeli military spokespersons, Amos Harel, a military analyst for Haaretz, reveals that the destruction of Jabaliya is part of the “Generals’ Plan,” which aims to expel Palestinians from northern Gaza.
There are those in the southern command and field forces dangerously supporting this plan.
Israeli Soldiers Admit to Killing Civilians
- CrossFireArabia
- December 21, 2024
Israeli soldiers revealed Friday that the army killed Palestinian civilians who entered previously targeted buildings in the Gaza Strip, according to a media report.
The Haaretz newspaper in Israel said the army “does not routinely update its list of targets in Gaza, nor does it indicate to forces on the ground which structures are no longer being used” by fighters.
“As a result, anyone – including noncombatants – who enters such a building risks being attacked,” it said.
The army claimed that its reported death toll of militants only includes individuals confirmed as such. However, “testimonies from soldiers who served in Gaza suggest a different reality.”
A targeting officer from an Israeli combat brigade told Haaretz that, according to the guidelines, “an active building will always remain an active building, even if the ‘terrorist’ there was killed six months ago.”
A senior officer corroborated those claims, stating that “there were targets that suddenly came back to life,”
“So if someone decides to go into a building in search of a hiding place, the building will be struck,” said the officer.
In some areas, such as the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, instructions were reportedly given to target “anyone who entered a building regardless of who they are, even if they were just looking for shelter from the rain,” according to soldiers’ testimonies.
Another discharged officer from the 252nd Division said snipers were authorized to consider civilians entering specific areas as fighters. “We’re killing civilians there who are then counted as ‘terrorists,’” he said.
The army spokesperson’s “announcements about casualty numbers have turned this into a competition between units. If Division 99 killed 150 [people], the next unit aims for 200,” he added according to Anadolu.
The daily noted that “earlier this week, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry announced that the death toll in Gaza since the beginning of the war has exceeded 45,000 people.”
“Information published by the ministry has previously been verified by international organizations and governments and found to be credible,” it added.
The Haaretz report emphasized that “Israel disputes the figures. However, Israel is not itself counting or publishing the number of civilian Palestinian deaths in the current conflict, unlike in previous wars.”
According to the Israeli military, of those killed, the army “believes with a high degree of certainty” that 14,000 are fighters, and “a somewhat lesser degree of certainty” that 3,000 are fighters.
The Israeli military has not responded to the Haaretz report.
Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 45,200 people, mostly women and children, since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7, 2023.
On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.
Israeli Soldiers Shoot-to-Kill Civilians – Haaretz Probe
- CrossFireArabia
- December 18, 2024
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.
