Shocking admissions: Israeli troops describe arbitrary fire on civilians in Gaza

According to The Guardian, soldiers admitted to indiscriminate and arbitrary shootings of civilians. The documentary, titled Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, scheduled to air on ITV in the UK, features testimonies of soldiers, some speaking anonymously and others on camera, describing a breakdown of formal rules regarding civilian conduct.

Daniel, a tank unit commander, said: “If you want to shoot without limitation, you can.” Other soldiers confirmed that the army frequently used human shields and ignored official denials, providing details of civilians shot while trying to access food distribution points set up by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by Israel and the U.S.

Yotam Wilk, an armored officer, explained that army training emphasizes shooting only when means, intent, and capability are clear. He said: “In Gaza, there’s no such thing as means, intent, and capability. No soldier talks about that.”

Another soldier, identified as Eli, explained that decisions of life and death were made by commanders on the ground, not by ceasefire protocols. He said determining who was an enemy or a terrorist became entirely arbitrary, with civilians judged suspicious for walking too fast or too slow.

Eli recounted an incident where a senior officer ordered a tank to destroy a building in a designated civilian safe zone. A man on the rooftop hanging clothes was assumed to be a lookout and killed, despite having no weapon or binoculars, while the nearest military unit was 600–700 meters away.

Analysis by The Guardian in August of Israeli military intelligence data suggested 83% of casualties in Gaza were civilians, a historical record for modern conflicts, though the Israeli army rejected this analysis.

Since the war began in October 2023, over 69,000 Palestinians have been killed. Despite a ceasefire starting a month ago, casualties continue.

The Israeli army claims to remain committed to the rule of law, asserting it operates within legal and ethical obligations despite unprecedented operational complexity.

Some soldiers said they were influenced by political and religious rhetoric suggesting every Palestinian is a legitimate target. In September, a UN commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, citing inflammatory statements by Israeli leaders.

Daniel noted that the pervasive message that “there is no such thing as an innocent in Gaza” permeated the army, shaping behavior over time.

The documentary also shows that some ultra-Orthodox rabbis in the army legitimized extensive destruction of Palestinian neighborhoods, even personally operating military bulldozers.

Soldiers in Breaking Ranks confirmed the use of civilians as human shields, a tactic unofficially called the “mosquito protocol.” Daniel described how civilians mapping underground tunnels while carrying GPS-enabled iPhones were effectively used to guide operations, spreading the practice across army units.

Contractors at GHF-managed food distribution sites reported witnessing the killing of unarmed civilians. One described two young men shot while running for food; in another instance, a tank destroyed a civilian car with four people inside.

According to UN statistics, at least 944 Palestinian civilians have been killed while seeking aid at distribution points. Both GHF and the Israeli army deny targeting civilians, claiming compliance with international law and efforts to minimize harm.

Daniel concluded the documentary by saying: “I feel they’ve destroyed all my pride as an Israeli army officer. All that remains is shame.”