The ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict has been on the verge of an all-out war on Gaza. Amidst this, testimonies of six soldiers from the Israeli Defence Forces resurfaced on the internet, revealing their right to open fire on Palestinians virtually at will. This comes as a shocking revelation that any civilian is permissible to be shot, including a young girl and an old woman.
“Personally Fired Bullets For No Reason”
The soldiers spoke to the authorities in complete anonymity. They disclosed their total freedom of action in the region and freedom of being able to shoot any civilian at sight. As a gruesome detail, one of the soldiers claimed that he ‘personally fired a few bullets for no reason’. He did so by aiming without reason at the sea, at the sidewalk, or an abandoned building. They call it a ‘normal fire’, allegedly a code name for ‘I am bored, so I shoot’.
No Rules Of Engagement Provided To The Soldiers
These soldiers were released from their active duty a few months ago. Reportedly, the Israeli Army has not provided the soldiers with any rules of engagement, leaving it up to the soldiers to act as per their wishes. No higher authority gave instructions to be passed on to the battalion commanders. Another soldier claimed that at times of potential threat, there was no explanation or permission required on their end, they could just simply shoot. For instance, if someone approached them, it was allowed to shoot directly at the target person. Another soldier said that he could count on his hands the number of places they were explicitly told to not shoot. They revealed the consensus among soldiers on ‘shoot first, ask questions later’.
Shooting Just To Demonstrate Presence
The soldiers also clarified that this was also the case because they could not distinguish between the Hamas and the civilians, as Hamas often walked around with no weapons. Hence, they suspected every individual aged 16 to 50 years of being a terrorist. Moreover, the soldiers would also shoot aimlessly to demonstrate their presence in the region, even in areas that seemed to be abandoned. They stated that their weapons would mostly include machine guns, tanks, and mortars. There were no restrictions on ammunition. Upon this horrific disclosure, old confessions from Israeli soldiers during the Israel-Palestine war in 2004 have also resurfaced, where a soldier reported shooting ‘just for fun’.