Subscribe free to our newsletters via your




WAR REPORT
Israeli veterans group slams army conduct in Gaza war
by Staff Writers
Jerusalem (AFP) May 4, 2015


A group of veteran Israeli combatants on Monday slammed the army's conduct during the 2014 Gaza war, using soldiers' testimonies to expose a policy it said caused "unprecedented" civilian casualties.

The testimonies appeared in a 237-page report called "This is how we fought in Gaza" which was based on the anonymous accounts of 60 soldiers and officers involved in the 50-day war last summer.

They were collated by Breaking the Silence, an Israeli non-governmental organisation whose members bear witness to abuses they have seen or taken part in during their military service in the occupied Palestinian territories.

But the Israeli army questioned the veracity of the report, saying the group had failed to provide "proof" of the witness accounts.

"The guiding military principle of 'minimum risk to our forces, even at the cost of harming innocent civilians' alongside efforts to deter and intimidate the Palestinians, led to massive and unprecedented harm to the population and the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip," it said.

The report gave more than 100 examples of apparent misconduct during the war.

One soldier related how troops were instructed to "open fire everywhere, first thing as you go in... the assumption being that the moment we went in, anyone who dared poke his head out was a terrorist".

"The instructions were to shoot right away. Whoever you spot -- be they armed or unarmed, no matter what. The instructions are very clear. Any person you run into, that you see with your eyes -- shoot to kill," said another.

"It's an explicit instruction."

A separate testimony said that two women who were talking on phones just under a kilometre away from the front line were shot dead.

When the bodies were later discovered to be unarmed, "we moved on, and they were listed as terrorists", the soldier said.

- 'Investigation impossible' -

Tanks were also ordered to fire at buildings, selected at random, in memorial of fallen comrades, the report cited a soldier as saying.

"When you look at the bigger picture, that's something we were doing all the time. We were firing purposelessly all day long," the soldier said.

The report also said junior officers were allowed to give orders that would normally be left up to more senior commanders.

"A very disconcerting picture arises about the way IDF forces were instructed to operate during combat in Gaza," it said, referring to the Israel Defence Forces, or army.

The military said it had doubts about the veracity of the report.

"The IDF is committed to properly investigating all credible claims raised via media (and) NGOs," it said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, as in the past, Breaking the Silence has refused to provide the IDF with any proof of their claims. For obvious reasons such conduct makes any investigation by the relevant IDF bodies impossible," it said.

But Breaking the Silence co-founder Yehuda Shaul told AFP the organisation had sent a letter to Israel's army chief of staff on March 23 asking for a meeting.

"We were very clear that we would be more than happy to share materials once we have a meeting scheduled," he said.

"Sadly enough, we never heard back."

The fighting claimed the lives of about 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 73 people on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers.

The Israeli army is currently investigating allegations of misconduct, including the shelling of a United Nations-run school.

Last week, a UN report found Israel responsible for seven incidents at such schools which killed dozens of Palestinians sheltering there.

As part of its investigations so far, the Israeli military has charged three soldiers with looting during the war.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





WAR REPORT
52 civilians dead in coalition strikes in Syria: monitor
Beirut (AFP) May 2, 2015
US-led air strikes targeting the Islamic State group killed at least 52 civilians in a village in northern Syria, a monitoring group said on Saturday. "Air strikes by the coalition early on Friday on the village of Birmahle in Aleppo province killed 52 civilians," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "Seven children were killed, and 13 people are sti ... read more


WAR REPORT
Climbing firms call off Everest season after quake

One week on, Nepal rules out finding more quake survivors

Battle to get aid to Nepal's quake-hit mountain villages

Nepal quake highlights Everest technology

WAR REPORT
Next Generation GPS System Faces Delays, Cost Overruns

Neuronal positioning system: A GPS to navigate the brain

NASA Goddard Team Sets High Flying Record with Use of GPS

China's satellite navigation system to expand coverage globally by 2020

WAR REPORT
DARPA Aims to Accelerate Memory Function for Skill Learning

Study finds ancient clam beaches not so natural

Human weapons may not have caused the demise of the Neanderthals

Insight into how brain makes memories

WAR REPORT
Kestrel shooting brings Malta hunting season to early end

Congo destroys illegal ivory as wildlife summit begins

Rare dune plants thrive on disturbance

India holds census of endangered asiatic lions

WAR REPORT
Disease fears hit Nepal's quake-hit homeless

Ream discovers new mechanism behind malaria progression

Researchers inform development of Ebola vaccine trials

THoR Aims to Help Future Patients "Weather the Storm" of Infection

WAR REPORT
China culture drive pushes out indie films

'Landmark verdict' for abused China wife who faced death

Former China provincial governor tried for graft

China vows crackdown on strippers at funerals

WAR REPORT
A blast and gunfire: Mexico's chopper battle

Sagem-led consortium intoduces anti-piracy system

WAR REPORT
China announces measures to boost creativity, jobs

Japanese inflation ticks up, but spending still weak

China April manufacturing gauge stays at 50.1: govt

Study: Electricity usage can predict stock market




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.