Gaza Strip | Accused of indiscriminately shooting civilians, the Israeli army defends itself

(Jerusalem) The Israeli army said on Friday it was only attacking “military targets” following the publication of an investigation by the Israeli daily Haaretz accusing him of indiscriminately shooting civilians in a controversial area of ​​the Gaza Strip.

In its investigation, published Thursday, the left-wing newspaper, very critical of the government of Benyamin Netanyahu, collects the anonymous testimonies of several soldiers who were engaged in the Netzarim corridor.

This buffer zone set up by the Israeli army, seven kilometers wide, cuts off the north of the Gaza Strip from the rest of the small Palestinian territory between Israel and the Mediterranean.

“The orders were clear: anyone who crosses the bridge to enter the corridor receives a bullet in the head,” says a soldier quoted by Haaretz.

Another evokes the announcement, by his superiors, of the death of 200 militants of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, while “only 10” were actually killed according to him.

“The Israeli army only attacks military targets and acts with precision,” the latter reacted in a press release sent to AFP.

“Many measures are taken before carrying out strikes to limit the risk of civilians being injured,” she added.

The army also rejects testimony suggesting that the officers on site would have exceptional latitude to make their decisions.

“All operations carried out in the Gaza Strip, including in the Netzarim corridor, follow combat procedures and orders approved at the highest level,” it said.

Hamas, whose unprecedented attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, triggered the war in Gaza, also reacted to the investigation by Haaretz.

According to the Palestinian organization, the soldiers' testimonies constitute “additional evidence of war crimes and ethnic cleansing operations carried out in a structured manner.”

She calls on the United Nations and the International Court of Justice to “investigate these testimonies and take the necessary measures to put an end to the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.”