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Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israeli soldiers ‘ordered' to shoot at unarmed Gaza aid seekers: Report
Israeli soldiers have deliberately shot at unarmed Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza after being 'ordered' to do so by their commanders, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports. Israel ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over the allegations by some soldiers that it revealed on Friday, Haaretz said. At least 549 Palestinians have been killed and 4,066 injured while waiting for food aid distributed at sites run by the Israeli-and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the Gaza Government Media Office said on Thursday. The GHF has been a source of widespread criticism since its establishment in May. According to the Haaretz report, which quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers, troops were told to fire at the crowds of Palestinians and use unnecessary lethal force against people who appeared to pose no threat. 'We fired machineguns from tanks and threw grenades,' one soldier told Haaretz. 'There was one incident where a group of civilians was hit while advancing under the cover of fog.' In another instance, a soldier said that where they were stationed in Gaza, between 'one and five people were killed every day'. 'It's a killing field,' that soldier said. Method of 'control' According to Haaretz, the Military Advocate General has told the army's General Staff's Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism, which reviews incidents involving potential violations of the laws of war, to investigate suspected war crimes at these aid sites. One of the authors of the report, Nir Hasson, told Al Jazeera that the Israeli directive to fire on civilians is part of a method to 'control' the aid seekers. 'It's actually a practice of … controlling the crowd by fire, like if you wanted the crowd to run off [from] a place, you shoot them at them, even though you know they are unarmed … You use fire to move people from one point to another,' he said from West Jerusalem. While the journalist and his colleagues do not know the name of the commander who might have issued such a directive, Hasson said that he would likely hold a position high up in the army. Despite this practice at these sites, most Israelis and the army's troops still believe the war on Gaza is just, even while some cracks are emerging in this understanding, the journalist said. '[There are] more and more people who are asking themselves if this war is necessary, but also what is the humanitarian price the Gazan population is [paying] for this war,' he said. 'A death trap' Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera's Hamdah Salhut said the Haaretz report is 'shocking'. 'People in Gaza have said these distribution centres have now become a death trap for Palestinians,' Salhut said. 'Aid groups have said that Palestinians are left with no choice – to either starve to death, or die seeking the very little food that is offered in the distribution centres run by the GHF,' she added. The GHF operates four food distribution sites in Gaza – one in the centre and three in south. Since an Israeli blockade was lifted on the entry of humanitarian goods at the end of May, attacks on aid seekers in Gaza have increased. On Friday, medics said six people were killed by gunfire as they tried to get food in southern Gaza. But the GHF has come under intense condemnation by aid groups, including the United Nations, for its 'weaponisation' of vital items. On Friday, Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials, MSF, called the GHF's aid distribution sites 'slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid'. Since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, at least 56,331 people have been killed, with 132,632 wounded in Israeli attacks, Gaza's Health Ministry reported.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Israeli soldiers ordered to shoot at Gazans near aid sites, report says
Israeli soldiers and officials allege they were given orders to deliberately shoot Palestinians near aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip, a report has shown. The report published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Friday said commanders ordered troops to fire at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear the people posed no threat. Israeli authorities have previously denied soldiers fired directly at desperate civilians seeking aid at distribution centres run by the disputed US and Israel-backed G aza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). At least 549 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food aid near the GHF distribution centres, since they began operating late in May, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The dead include 93 killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached UN aid lorries, Thameen Al Kheetan, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said this week. "It's a killing field," one soldier told Haaretz. "Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They're treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars. Then, once the centre opens, the shooting stops, and they know they can approach. Our form of communication is gunfire." "We open fire early in the morning if someone tries to get in line from a few hundred meters away, and sometimes we just charge at them from close range. But there's no danger to the forces,' said the soldier. The soldier said he was unaware of "a single instance of return fire. There's no enemy, no weapons." Thousands of starving Palestinians typically gather near the sites. The scenes have been chaotic, turning deadly as people rush when gunfire is heard. One officer told the newspaper that there were casualties and injuries among the Israeli army in some incidents. Israel imposed a blockade on aid deliveries in Gaza for two and a half months beginning from March 2, accusing Hamas of seizing food and supplies meant for hungry Palestinians. The GHF opened sites around the enclave, secured by a private security force and Israeli troops, to prevent the alleged Hamas looting. The deadly incidents near the site have raised further questions about whether the militarised aid initiative can deliver food supplies safely. The UN and international NGOs have refused to work with the GHF. The US State Department on Thursday confirmed that it is providing $30 million in direct funding to the aid group. The head of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced on Thursday that it had delivered its first medical supplies into Gaza since early March, including reserves of blood and plasma. Separately, a few dozen aid lorries entered northern Gaza on Wednesday. Dozens of people seeking aid at GHF sites have gone missing, failing to return home, their families have reported to rights groups and authorities in Gaza. In addition to the Israeli army opening fire, Haaretz also cited sources as saying some of the fatalities near the aid distribution sites had been caused by gunfire from Israel-backed armed clans. One officer said the army continued to back the Abu Shabab group. Gaza residents and human rights groups have accused the Yasser Abu Shabab Popular Forces of crimes from looting of aid to firing at, kidnapping and beating Palestinians who seek it. The report also cited an Israeli army representative, who did not directly address the allegations raised by the soldiers and officers. The representative said after reports of "harm to civilians arriving at distribution centres, in-depth investigations were conducted, and instructions were given to forces on the ground based on lessons learnt".
National Post
a day ago
- Politics
- National Post
Avi Benlolo: It's time to end the war — and rebuild a stronger, more resilient Israel
October 7th, 2023, was the most defining moment for Israel since the Holocaust. For a generation two or three times removed from the Shoah, the horrors of that day shattered the illusion of safety. It was not just a brutal terrorist attack — it was an existential wake-up call. Article content For years, many wondered if a new generation raised in a high-tech, Westernized society could withstand a genocidal assault. October 7th gave us the answer. Israelis rose with courage and fury, united by the singular purpose of survival and justice. They did not collapse — they roared back. Article content Article content Article content In the immediate aftermath, Israelis became an iron wall. They fought back against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis — and then directly confronted Iran. This week alone, seven Israeli soldiers were injured in central Israel with one off-duty soldier killed in Beersheba. Twenty-eight civilians were killed by Iranian missiles that levelled entire apartment blocks. Yet, Israel did not flinch. It struck back with precision, resilience, and resolve. Article content Article content No other country in the world could have endured what Israel has faced over the past 20 months. No nation could withstand rocket barrages from multiple fronts while keeping daily life functioning. No other society could bury its young soldiers — its brightest minds — with such dignity and determination. No economy could continue to grow under constant attack. And no people could live through the trauma of watching loved ones kidnapped and brutalized — yet continue to fight with moral clarity. But Israel did. And Israel continues to do so. Article content Article content Let's be honest — it was Israel that gave America its consequential moment. Israeli intelligence and strategic planning laid the groundwork for strikes on Iran's nuclear program. While U.S. airpower delivered the final blow, Israel brilliantly paved the way. Article content Article content October 7th created a new Israeli ethos — just as the Holocaust once did. A new generation has emerged, defined not by memory, but by lived experience. They will never forget the sirens, the bomb shelters, or the atrocities. They will carry the legacy of survival and defence into every sphere of national life. Article content A post-Netanyahu era will bring new leadership shaped by battle — leaders who understand the cost of freedom and the price of silence. They will protect Israel with a heart of courage, grounded in hard-won experience. Article content Israel is not only surviving — it is growing. In the coming years, it will see a surge in Aliyah. As antisemitism rises across Europe and North America, and Islamic fundamentalism undermines Western values, more Jews will choose Israel as a safe and sovereign refuge. They will bring with them skills, passion, and purpose, strengthening the nation from within.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israeli forces kill three Palestinians after settlers attack West Bank town
Dozens of Israeli settlers have attacked a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, Kafr Malik, sparking a confrontation that ended with Israeli soldiers killing three Palestinians. Since the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 941 Palestinians, including many militants, according to the Palestinian health ministry
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Seven Israeli soldiers killed in Hamas attack in Gaza
Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in a Hamas attack in the southern Gaza Strip , the Israeli military said on Wednesday, one of the deadliest incidents for the force in months. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks have killed 74 people in the Palestinian territory over the previous 24 hours, according to local health authorities on Wednesday. The seven Israeli soldiers, in the 605th combat engineering battalion, were killed on Tuesday after militants planted a bomb on their vehicle while they were driving in Khan Younis, causing it to catch fire. Hamas later claimed responsibility for the attack. 'Rescue forces and helicopters were dispatched to the scene and made attempts to extract the soldiers but were unsuccessful,' said Brig Gen Effie Defrin, an Israeli army spokesman, on Wednesday. He added that the 605th battalion was finding and demolishing tunnels, as well as killing militants, in Khan Younis. READ MORE Their deaths brought the total number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since October 7th, 2023, to 879. More than 56,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza by Israel, according to the health ministry, since the October 7th, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. [ Gaza's last hospitals battle to save patients amid severe depletion of life-saving medical items Opens in new window ] At least 40 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza were shot by Israeli forces on Tuesday, local medics and officials said. The incident comes as Israel ends its war with Iran, agreeing to a US-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday. Fighting started anew in Gaza in March, when Israel restarted its war after refusing to move to a second phase of a ceasefire, which could have led to a more permanent truce. Since then, negotiations for a second ceasefire have borne little progress, with Hamas insisting on a total end to the war in Gaza – a demand Israel has rejected. Since March, humanitarian conditions in the beleaguered strip have deteriorated. Famine-like conditions reign after Israel imposed a nearly two-month siege on any humanitarian aid into the country. Unicef warned last week that 60 per cent of water production facilities in Gaza were not functioning and that there was a 50 per cent increase in acute child malnutrition from April to May. More than 500 people have been shot dead by Israeli forces as they travelled to get food from a new US- and Israel-backed private organisation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Chaos has reigned as hungry Palestinians have had to walk miles and navigate the complicated rules that the GHF and Israel have imposed to access food, with almost daily scenes of Israeli soldiers shooting dozens of people at the sites. [ 'We are being slaughtered': Gazans risk their lives on desperate journeys for food Opens in new window ] The GHF has been condemned as potentially being complicit in war crimes, for what aid groups have alleged are its violations of the principles of neutrality and independence, pillars of humanitarian work. On Wednesday, US president Donald Trump said that US strikes on Iran – which targeted three nuclear facilities – could help lead to a breakthrough on Gaza ceasefire negotiations. 'I think great progress is being made on Gaza. Because of the attack that we made, I think we're going to have some very good news. I think that it helped a little bit, it showed a lot of power,' Mr Trump said at a press conference at a Nato summit in the Netherlands. On Tuesday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a statement calling for the ceasefire with Iran to be expanded to Gaza. 'We call on the Government to engage in urgent negotiations that will bring home all of the hostages and end the war. Those who can achieve a ceasefire with Iran can also end the war in Gaza,' the forum said in a statement. – Guardian
