An Israeli military doctor: We committed massacres, looting, burning, and vandalizing homes, and executed prisoners in cold blood inside Gaza
An Israeli military doctor gave shocking testimony about the violations committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, which included acts of looting, vandalism, setting fire to Palestinian homes, and executing prisoners.
On Friday, the chief analyst for the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Nahum Barnea, published an article in which he presented the verbatim text of a letter from a doctor in the Paratroopers Reserve Brigade who recently completed a two-month service in the Gaza Strip.
“He recorded his impressions when he left there, and I am quoting his words verbatim,” Barnea said, without mentioning the doctor’s name.
As a result of the atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip, Israel faces accusations of committing genocide before the International Court of Justice, for the first time in its history, which was met with regional and global welcome, and American opposition.
“I will start with an area that has not been touched upon much, which is values in combat, or - in my opinion - the values of Israeli society with a testing point,” the doctor wrote.
He added: “One of the most prominent things is the feeling of anger and revenge that swept us all because of the horrific events that occurred on October 7, and this of course includes me as well, and later, I unfortunately noticed that these feelings led to unruliness in several areas.”
In this regard, the doctor revealed that “the looting has become almost institutionalized,” as he witnessed during his time in Gaza.
He said: “The matter begins with the confiscation of large quantities of mattresses, gas stoves and gas cylinders from occupied homes, and continues with the taking of small souvenirs such as tables and small toys for children.”
He added: “Smaller, less disciplined forces looted phones, Dyson vacuum cleaners, motorcycles and bicycles.”
Regarding these practices, the doctor said: “I felt ashamed, and at some point I stopped commenting because I was seen as a troublemaker.”
The doctor also pointed out that the Israeli army was carrying out sabotage operations.
He said: “It is morally legitimate to damage homes that might pose a threat during an attack; It is also legitimate to attack the surrounding area and destroy homes that threaten the operational hubs. “This is acceptable to me as long as it is defined as a military mission.”
He added: “The phenomenon of graffiti, breaking and vandalism inside homes indicates a lack of discipline.”
He added: “The forces intermittently start burning homes, and the brigade commander says that it is okay for him, and the cumulative feeling is then that they will do here in Gaza what they did in Huwwara (a Palestinian town near Nablus in the northern West Bank, many of whose homes and vehicles were burned last year.” ).
The doctor also pointed out “the political messages (that soldiers release in videos): There is almost no barrier to political messages – they are always right-wing and often extremist, and the leaders turn a blind eye.”
The military doctor narrated in his letter about the execution of a prisoner, and his letter prompted the Israeli army to respond that “the military police will investigate the incident.”
He said: “During the fighting, five elite terrorists who surrendered were captured (referring to “Hamas”). One of them had a broken ankle. I took care of him, and I received surprised looks and directed questions (from the soldiers), not because they were angry but because of a lack of understanding as to why. “My treatment for him.”
He said: “I am not a pacifist, and I fully support the use of significant force when necessary. However, many felt that wearing the Israeli army uniform and crossing the border allowed them to cross all (overflow) lines.”
The Israeli army responded to what was stated in the military doctor’s letter about the execution of a Palestinian prisoner: “The incident is under investigation by the military police, and after the investigation is completed, the results will be transferred to the Military Prosecutor’s Office for examination.”
For his part, Barnea wrote: “These phenomena do not end in Gaza: Members of the kibbutzim (settlements) on the border of the Gaza Strip say that the soldiers stationed inside the kibbutz vandalized property and looted everything they could get their hands on (...) I heard about similar phenomena in the (Israeli) towns that She was evacuated on the Lebanese border.”
Legal experts say videos showing Gaza detainees stripped, bound and blindfolded, filmed by Israeli soldiers and uploaded online, could constitute a violation of international law.
International law stipulates that detainees must not be subjected to unnecessary humiliation or public curiosity.
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