Testimonies given by Israeli soldiers and published by the German newspaper Der Spiegel have revealed that the occupation army deliberately killed civilians in the Gaza Strip, opened fire on Palestinians who posed no threat, and used Palestinian youths as human shields during military operations.
One soldier said that during more than 80 days his battalion spent at the Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip, the battalion killed between 160 and 170 people, noting that suspicion of bearing arms was limited to a single case, even though no soldier had seen a weapon.
The soldier recalled the attack that targeted Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari in Jabalia on 31 October 2023, explaining that the force's command had informed soldiers hours before the strike that up to 300 civilians could be martyred, and that the attack resulted in the martyrdom of 126 civilians, including 68 children.
The soldier said one of them reported a suspected Hamas observer on the roof of a building, so a drone was sent to verify. Its operator explained that the person on the roof was hanging out laundry, but an officer insisted he was an observer, saying Palestinian men do not hang out laundry.
Even after the drone operator reaffirmed that the man was standing with his back to the forces and hanging out laundry, an officer in a tank unit requested permission to shoot him, confirming he could hit him accurately, and the commander issued the order to open fire.
The soldier added that after ambulances arrived to carry the martyrs and wounded, Israeli media deliberately reversed the narrative and cast doubt on the presence of casualties in the strike.
The testimonies also addressed the use of Palestinians as human shields during military operations in Rafah. The soldier said he saw Palestinian youths blindfolded and handcuffed, wearing nothing but underwear and shoes, being sent ahead of the forces into tunnels and houses, and being asked to wear Israeli military uniforms with a camera attached to their bodies.
The soldier noted that when civilians are killed or wounded, the army tries to link them to Hamas, stressing that describing the victims as members of the movement makes justifying their killing easier before international public opinion.
