The Israeli army in Gaza shot unarmed Palestinians “without restraint”, created a “protocol” for using civilians as human shields, and pursued a policy of “destroy, demolish, transfer”, military whistleblowers have claimed.
In a shocking documentary broadcast on ITV, at least a dozen soldiers described in detail how Gaza was left a “zombie apocalypse” after Israel’s unprecedented two-year offensive.
During that time they said commanding officers told them to ignore international law, use civilians, including teenagers, as human shields, celebrate drone strikes and “take revenge on them all”.
The testimonies, which include a contractor for a controversial Israeli-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, also described the wanton destruction of civilian infrastructure, torching Palestinian homes they turned into forward bases, shooting aid seekers at distribution sites, and an “unprecedented” bombing campaign allowing for vast collateral damage.
One officer, identified only as Lieutenant Colonel B, who has served more than 300 days in Gaza, described the offensive as “all-out”, adding he believed there was “no limit” for collateral damage.
“If you ask me I would have pushed them all into the sea [with bulldozers] on October 7, given them snorkels and let them swim in Egypt,” he told ITV Exposure.
Another, whose identity was also protected, added: “In my [company] there were people openly saying ‘let’s destroy, demolish, transfer them [out of Gaza]’.”
Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign and siege of Gaza in the wake of Hamas’ bloody attacks on southern Israel, during which over 1,000 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli estimates.
In the documentary Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, soldiers said in the aftermath Israel launched a “revenge campaign”.
Since October 2023, Israel’s bombardment and the war have killed more than 64,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials. It has also destroyed or damaged more than 90 per cent of homes, according to the UN, and displaced most of the 2.3 million-strong population.
An Israeli siege on the tiny 25-mile-long enclave has meanwhile pushed the strip into famine and unleashed a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions. The UN Commission of Inquiry concluded this year that Israel has committed genocide.
Israel has vehemently and repeatedly dismissed these allegations as false and antisemitic. The military has, in multiple statements to The Independent, denied deliberately violating international law or committing any crimes, maintaining that any potential violation is investigated.
But in the ITV Exposure film a conscript infantry soldier named only “Yaakov” said the destruction is so widespread that they have “destroyed a society”.
“All mosques, almost all hospitals, almost all universities, every cultural institution has been destroyed,” he added grimly. “You’ve destroyed a society. You don’t have to kill them one by one to destroy every sign of the society that once existed there.”
