Israeli soldiers recount in a documentary the unjustified use of live fire and the arbitrary identification of “the enemy” during the war in Gaza, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can.”
Israeli soldiers describe a state of utter chaos in Gaza and a breakdown of legal standards and restrictions, with civilians being killed indiscriminately based on the whims of Israeli officers, according to testimonies featured in a television documentary.
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” says Daniel, a tank unit commander in the Israeli army, in the documentary “Breaking the Lines: Inside Israel’s War,” which is scheduled to air in the UK on ITV.
Some of the Israeli soldiers who spoke to the program requested anonymity, while others spoke publicly. All pointed to the disappearance of the official code of conduct regarding civilians.
Soldiers who agreed to speak confirmed the routine use of civilians as human shields, contradicting official denials, and provided details of Israeli forces firing unjustifiably at civilians rushing to obtain food aid at military distribution points set up by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The film “Breaking the Ranks” reveals the psychological pressure experienced by at least some soldiers in Gaza. In this regard, Daniel says on the program: “I feel they have destroyed all my pride in being an officer in the Israeli army. All that remains is shame.”
