'Everyone you encounter is an enemy': Israeli commander’s words resurface after 15 medics killed

In the wake of the killing of 15 paramedics and first responders by Israeli occupation forces in Rafah — who were later found buried along with their vehicles in a mass grave — a chilling battlefield directive by the commander of the Israeli army's elite Golani Reconnaissance Battalion has resurfaced. Addressing his soldiers ahead of a ground incursion, Lt. Col. David Cohen said: 'Everyone you encounter is an enemy. If you identify a figure — open fire, annihilate, and move on. Do not be confused in this regard.' Cohen made no distinction between combatants and civilians in his orders, a stance human rights observers say may explain the rising civilian death toll in Gaza — including the targeted killing of medical and emergency workers. Israel maintains its operations are aimed at dismantling Hamas and rescuing hostages. But with mounting casualties and incidents like the Rafah paramedic murders, rights groups highlight the rising evidence that the occupation state is carrying out a policy of genocide in Gaza.