From kill zones to human shields: Shocking Israeli soldier testimonies from Gaza

The Danish daily Berlingske, in its weekend edition on Sunday, published shocking testimonies from former Israeli soldiers about the war on Gaza and the indiscriminate targeting of Palestinians. These accounts reveal orders for random killings, systematic destruction, and a spirit of revenge that permeates the behavior of the Israeli occupation forces towards Palestinians.

According to the newspaper, these testimonies demonstrate that the occupying forces, in the absence of any humanitarian considerations, are pursuing strategies that result in the deaths of large numbers of Palestinian civilians.

Eitan Roma, Deputy Director of the Israeli human rights organization Breaking the Silence, emphasized: “Most people are dying simply because we don’t care.”

Since its founding in 2004, Breaking the Silence has gathered testimonies from over 1,500 Israeli soldiers about their actions in the West Bank and Gaza.

Eitan Roma, himself a former soldier who served in the West Bank, said soldiers don’t kill voluntarily but follow explicit orders to shoot even at those waving white flags.

“These are not individual decisions,” Roma said, “but clear directives from higher command.” He explained that many of the soldiers are just 18 or 19 years old, unaware of the true nature of their actions, focused solely on their own survival and that of their comrades.

One of the most disturbing revelations is the use of so-called “kill zones” in Gaza, areas heavily bombarded by air and artillery before ground forces enter. Although residents are told to evacuate, these zones effectively become execution fields, with soldiers ordered to shoot anyone on sight under the assumption that anyone remaining is Hamas. However, as Roma noted, the reality is different — many civilians stay behind due to illness, old age, or fear of being bombed while fleeing. Even areas declared “safe” are routinely bombed.

Among the most shocking testimonies is what soldiers refer to as the “mosquito protocol”, a tactic where Israeli forces force Palestinian civilians to walk ahead of them, effectively using them as human shields. “At first, we thought this was just a rogue commander exceeding his authority,” Roma said, “but repeated testimonies from various units show this is a widespread and known practice.”

Roma stated that the Israeli army does not need to inflict such high civilian casualties and could conduct precise operations. “The army knows how to carry out precise operations, but it chooses not to because such operations require planning and resources.”

He recounted how killing hundreds of civilians to target a suspected Hamas member, such as a truck driver believed to be affiliated with the movement, has become routine. In other cases, military leadership has accepted the deaths of over 100 civilians in strikes to assassinate a single senior Hamas leader.

The newspaper reported that Israel targets schools and hospitals on the pretext that Hamas is hiding there, but as Roma said, alternative methods could be used if there were political and moral will.

Roma believes much of Israel’s military and political decision-making is driven by a desire for revenge over the events of October 7, 2023.

“This is no longer just about Hamas. This is about punishing the entire Palestinian population.”

He also noted that right-wing ministers are pushing for the reoccupation and settlement of Gaza, while Tel Aviv aims to concentrate the population in the south in what it calls a “humanitarian city”, raising fears of ethnic cleansing.

The newspaper reported that amid allegations of using starvation as a weapon, Tel Aviv has begun organizing aid distribution in southern Gaza. A private American organization believed to be linked to Tel Aviv has taken over aid distribution from the UN, sparking widespread criticism.

The newspaper added: “The UN says 875 Palestinians have been killed in the past six weeks while trying to reach aid distribution points.”

Eitan Roma concluded: “Destruction and killing have become goals in and of themselves. They are no longer just means to achieve military objectives.”