Israel: Soldiers admit killing civilians in Gaza, classifying them as ‘terrorists’

Israel’s newspaper Haaretz revealed on Friday the confessions of Israeli soldiers regarding their killing of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and then classifying them as terrorists.

The newspaper quoted the soldiers stating: “Gaza buildings marked as homes of terrorists or enemy staging areas have not been removed from the army’s target list even after being struck, endangering civilians who enter them.”

The newspaper added, quoting the soldiers: “This happens because 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 militants.”

“As a result, anyone – including noncombatants – who enters such a building risks being attacked by the Israel Defence Forces and being classified posthumously as a terrorist, even if no terrorist activity is occurring there anymore.”

The newspaper noted: “Since the start of the war, the military has claimed that the reported number of terrorists killed includes only those with confirmed identification as terrorists. However, testimonies from soldiers who served in Gaza suggest a different reality.”

Haaretz quoted an unnamed officer from the targeting division of one of the Israeli Forces’ brigades, who participated in several rounds of fighting in Gaza, indicating that according to the guidelines: “An active building will always remain an active building, even if the terrorist there was killed six months ago.”

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The newspaper reported: “A senior officer confirmed these statements to Haaretz, but claimed the army adopted this approach after it saw that terrorists were returning to their homes and to their staging points after they’d come under attack. 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.”

In the area of the Netzarim Corridor, the office confirmed: “The order was to hit anyone who entered a building regardless of who they are, even if they were just looking for shelter from the rain.”

In another testimony, Haaretz quoted an unnamed officer who was recently discharged from the 252nd Division as saying: “For the division, the kill zone extends as far as a sniper can see.”

“We’re killing civilians there who are then counted as terrorists,” he said, adding: “The IDF 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.”

The newspaper reported: “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. The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its casualty count and emphasises that the numbers include only those killed who were brought to hospitals and registered.”

Regarding the ministry, the newspaper disclosed that it: “Estimates that the real numbers are even higher, with over 10,000 people still buried under the rubble of buildings. Information published by the ministry has previously been verified by international organisations and governments and found to be credible.”

Haaretz pointed out that Israel disputes the figures published by the Ministry of Health in Gaza, noting: “Israel is not itself counting or publishing the number of civilian Palestinian deaths in the current conflict, unlike in previous wars. According to the IDF, of those killed, the army believes with a high degree of certainty that 14,000 are terrorists, and a somewhat lesser degree of certainty that 3,000 are terrorists.”

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