{"id":311248,"date":"2025-06-29T07:08:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T07:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=311248"},"modified":"2025-07-01T06:16:50","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T06:16:50","slug":"its-a-killing-field-israeli-soldiers-admit-to-firing-on-hungry-civilians-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=311248","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s a Killing Field\u2019: Israeli Soldiers Admit to Firing on Hungry Civilians in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aid distribution point in Gaza<\/p>\n

The Palestine Chronicle \u2013 Jan 27, 2025<\/strong><\/h1>\n

A Haaretz expos\u00e9 reveals that Israeli soldiers were ordered to shoot at Palestinians gathering for food, with commanders normalizing the killing of unarmed civilians.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An investigation<\/a> published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has revealed a deeply disturbing pattern of Israeli military conduct in Gaza, where soldiers and officers admitted to deliberately firing on Palestinian civilians gathering at food distribution centers.<\/p>\n

The report, based on direct conversations with multiple Israeli military personnel, details how live ammunition, mortars, grenade launchers, and tanks have routinely been used against unarmed crowds seeking humanitarian aid \u2014 a practice one soldier described bluntly as \u201ca killing field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution centers at the end of May, 549 Palestinians have been killed and over 4,000 injured near these sites, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry. Many of these deaths are reportedly the result of direct Israeli fire.<\/p>\n

One soldier stationed in Gaza told Haaretz: \u201cWhere I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They\u2019re treated like a hostile force \u2013 no crowd-control measures, no tear gas \u2013 just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars.\u201d He added, \u201cThere\u2019s no enemy, no weapons\u2026 I\u2019m not aware of a single instance of return fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to testimonies, soldiers have been ordered to shoot at Palestinians approaching aid distribution sites both before they open and after they close, even when no threat was posed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe open fire early in the morning if someone tries to get in line from a few hundred meters away,\u201d the soldier said. \u201cSometimes we just charge at them from close range.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Operation Salted Fish\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This practice has reportedly been normalized among the ranks. Soldiers refer to the pattern of fire and ceasefire around the centers as \u201cOperation Salted Fish,\u201d a reference to the Israeli version of the children\u2019s game \u201cRed Light, Green Light.\u201d<\/p>\n

The GHF, the entity responsible for the food distribution sites, was established in coordination with Israel, US evangelical groups, and private contractors.<\/p>\n

It operates four centers across Gaza, distributing food for just one hour each morning, often amid chaos. Despite being billed as humanitarian operations, these zones have become death traps for many.<\/p>\n

According to Haaretz, since the opening of the centers, at least 19 shooting incidents have been documented in their vicinity. The Israeli army reportedly fires warning shots \u2014 or live ammunition \u2014 to deter Palestinians from queuing too early or approaching from the wrong direction.<\/p>\n

One reservist described the environment: \u201cGaza doesn\u2019t interest anyone anymore. It\u2019s become a place with its own set of rules. The loss of human life means nothing. It\u2019s not even an \u2018unfortunate incident,\u2019 like they used to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israeli Officers, Soldiers Speak Out<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While the Israeli army has long maintained that its operations target militants, the soldiers\u2019 testimonies contradict this narrative.<\/p>\n

An officer responsible for securing one of the aid zones told Haaretz: \u201cWorking with a civilian population when your only means of interaction is opening fire \u2013 that\u2019s highly problematic, to say the least.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another officer described how Israeli army units fire mortars and machine guns to \u201csignal\u201d civilians not to approach: \u201cAt night, we open fire to signal to the population that this is a combat zone and they mustn\u2019t come near.\u201d<\/p>\n

In one case, a shell fired near the coastline struck a crowd of civilians. \u201cTechnically, it\u2019s supposed to be warning fire,\u201d one soldier explained. \u201cBut lately, firing shells has just become standard practice. Every time we fire, there are casualties and deaths.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cIf it\u2019s meant to be a warning shot, and we see them running back to Gaza, why shoot at them? Sometimes we\u2019re told they\u2019re still hiding and we need to fire in their direction because they haven\u2019t left. But it\u2019s obvious they can\u2019t leave if the moment they get up and run, we open fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer added, \u201cYou know it\u2019s not right. You feel it\u2019s not right \u2013 that the commanders here are taking the law into their own hands. But Gaza is a parallel universe. You move on quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top Commander Linked to Attacks<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A name that appears repeatedly in testimonies is Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, commander of Division 252. According to several soldiers and officers, Vach personally ordered the dispersal of Palestinians near UN aid trucks through direct gunfire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Vach\u2019s policy,\u201d one officer said. \u201cBut many of the commanders and soldiers accepted it without question. (The Palestinians) are not supposed to be there, so the idea is to make sure they clear out, even if they\u2019re just there for food.\u201d<\/p>\n

One recent incident cited in the report involved soldiers firing at civilians gathered at a junction awaiting aid trucks. The order, given by a local commander, led to the deaths of eight people, including teenagers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pointless \u2013 they were just killed, for nothing,\u201d said a senior reserve officer. \u201cThis thing called killing innocent people \u2013 it\u2019s been normalized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haaretz also revealed the role of private contractors in exacerbating the violence.<\/p>\n

According to one soldier, contractors demolishing homes in Gaza are paid 5,000 shekels (roughly $1,500) per building and are escorted by Israeli forces. Their proximity to food distribution points has often led to exchanges of fire \u2014 sometimes resulting in civilian deaths.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are areas where Palestinians are allowed to be \u2013 we\u2019re the ones who moved closer and decided [they] endangered us,\u201d said the soldier. \u201cSo, for a contractor to make another 5,000 shekels\u2026 it\u2019s deemed acceptable to kill people who are only looking for food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Systematic Dehumanization<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The cumulative picture painted by the testimonies is one of systematic dehumanization. \u201cWe were constantly told there are no noncombatants in Gaza,\u201d one soldier recalled. \u201cApparently that message sank in among the troops.\u201d<\/p>\n

The number of fatalities near aid centers has spiked in recent weeks \u2014 57 on June 11, 59 on June 17, and about 50 on June 24, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry.<\/p>\n

Despite the growing death toll, few internal investigations have occurred.<\/p>\n

The Israeli army\u2019s Southern Command, under Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, has only conducted preliminary reviews and has not disciplined any officers involved in civilian deaths.<\/p>\n

According to a military source, \u201cThe moral aspect is practically nonexistent. No one stops to ask why dozens of civilians looking for food are being killed every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to the report, the Israeli army claimed: \u201cHamas is a brutal terrorist organization that starves the Gazan population and endangers them to maintain its rule\u2026 The IDF allows the American civil society organization (GHF) to operate independently and distribute aid to Gaza residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the testimonies shared with Haaretz suggest that the problem is neither logistical nor procedural, but systemic and deliberate.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New investigation finds that it\u2019s no coincidence that so many Palestinians have been killed at aid distribution points in Gaza. It\u2019s standard operating procedure <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39262,"featured_media":309437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[118,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-311248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-7-10-gaza-war","category-Israel_Anti-Semitism_Zionism_and_US-UK_allies"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/39262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=311248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":311249,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311248\/revisions\/311249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/309437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=311248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=311248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=311248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}