Israeli Army Admits Killing Civilians in Gaza Buildings
Gaza, MINA – The Israeli army said on Friday that it killed Palestinian civilians who entered previously targeted buildings in the Gaza Strip, according to media reports, as quoted by Anadolu Agency.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper said the army “does not routinely update its target lists in Gaza, nor does it inform troops on the ground which buildings are no longer used” by fighters.
“As a result, anyone – including civilians – who enters the building is at risk of being attacked,” he said.
The army claims that the reported militant death toll includes only confirmed casualties. However, “testimony from soldiers serving in Gaza suggests a different reality.”
A targeting officer from an Israeli combat brigade told Haaretz that, according to the guidelines, “an active building will always remain an active building, even if the ‘terrorists’ there were killed six months ago.”
A senior officer corroborated the claim, stating that “there are targets tha t suddenly come to life,”
“So if someone decides to go inside the building to find a hiding place, the building will be attacked,” the officer said.
In some areas, such as the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, instructions were reportedly given to target “anyone who enters the building regardless of who they are, even if they are just looking for shelter from the rain,” according to soldiers’ testimony.
Another dismissed officer from the 252nd Division said snipers were authorized to treat civilians who entered certain areas as fighters. “We kill civilians there who are then counted as ‘terrorists,'” he said.
The military spokesman’s announcement of the casualty figures has turned this into a competition between units. If Division 99 kills 150 [people], the next unit aims for 200,” he added.
The daily noted that “earlier this week, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry announced that the death toll in Gaza since the start of the war had exceeded 45,000.”
“The information published by the ministry was previously verified by international organizations and governments and proved credible,” he added.
The Haaretz report stressed that “Israel disputes the figures. However, Israel itself does not count or publish the number of Palestinian civilian deaths in the current conflict, unlike in previous wars.”
According to the Israeli military, of those killed, the military “believes with a high degree of certainty” that 14,000 were combatants, and “with a somewhat lower degree of certainty” that 3,000 were combatants.
The Israeli military has not responded to the Haaretz report. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
