TEL AVIV // A report made public today by an Israeli left-wing group of former soldiers claims to have uncovered new evidence that the Israeli military may have been involved in random killings and systematic destruction during the country's recent deadly onslaught in the Gaza Strip.
The report by Breaking the Silence, a group of ex-combatants partly funded by the European Union that gathers testimonies of abuse towards Palestinians, focused on the witness accounts of 30 Israeli soldiers and officers who spoke of their concerns about the military's conduct after they took part in the 22-day Gaza incursion in December and January.
The group said the testimonies, collected in the months after the military campaign, detail Israeli actions that failed to distinguish between militants and civilians, employed such inexact weaponry as white phosphorus shells in heavily populated areas, used Palestinians as human shields and massively destroyed buildings for "no apparent, legitimate" military need.
The testimonies cast further doubt on the official Israeli line that its military acted in accordance with international law and committed no war crimes.
Gaza health officials and local rights groups have said 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the attacks and a further 5,000 Gazans were injured.
Israel has dismissed as "hearsay" allegations made by a separate group of anonymous servicemen during a seminar at a military college in February of Israeli violations, including the intentional killings of Palestinian civilians.
The report by Breaking the Silence is likely to draw attention in Israel, where criticism of the military campaign, which was supported by a majority of the Jewish population has been rare, as has been insight into the army's conduct during the attacks.
The group said most of the witness accounts were made by soldiers who still serve in the army and came forward "in deep distress at the moral deterioration" of the Israeli military.
It added that the testimonies suggested a systemic failure in the army. None of the soldiers interviewed in the report was identified by name.
The report said: "The testimonies ? expose that the massive and unprecedented blow to the infrastructure and civilians of the Gaza Strip were a direct result of [army] policy ? and a cultivation of the notion among soldiers that the reality of war requires them to shoot and not to ask questions." The report brought new accounts of the Israeli military using Palestinian civilians as human shields, which Israel has denied.
But such allegations were strengthened in a recent report by Amnesty International, a London-based human rights group, which said last month that Israeli soldiers used civilian homes as bases and sniper positions while forcing Gazan families - including children - to stay in a ground-floor room, or ordered males to walk in front of them on streets as they checked for booby traps or militants inside buildings.
One soldier who spoke to Breaking the Silence described how some Palestinian civilians - in such cases nicknamed "the Johnnies" among Israeli combatants - were sent into their neighbours' homes before the Israeli forces to check for armed Gaza militants inside.
He recalled incidents in which Palestinians were forced to smash house walls with sledgehammers to allow an alternative entry for Israeli soldiers, who feared the houses' front doors were laden with booby traps.
The soldier also said some soldiers were ordered by their commanders to go into homes they thought may be occupied by militants by placing a rifle barrel on the shoulder of the Palestinian civilian forced to walk in front of them.
Another soldier interviewed about the wide destruction of houses and infrastructure said the army razed entire neighbourhoods without justification.
The destruction, another interviewee added, was partly carried out to allow the military an easier field of vision and range of fire from Israel into Gaza when it eventually ends the attacks and leaves the seaside territory.
Some servicemen described watching trigger-happy comrades being encouraged by commanders' lax instructions on when to open fire.
He said: "When your company commander and battalion commander tell you, 'Go on, fire!' the soldiers will not hold back. They are waiting for this day, the fun of shooting and feeling all that power in your hands."
One interviewee, who said the shooting orders aimed at preventing harm to soldiers' lives at all costs, said he was told: "If you are not sure - shoot. If there is doubt then there is no doubt."
One serviceman recalled his brigade commander describing the Gaza military campaign as a "war" in which civilian lives should not be taken into consideration.
The soldier said: "This pretty much disgusted me. There was a clear feeling ? that no humanitarian consideration played any role in the army at present.
"The goal was to carry out an operation with the least possible casualties for the army, without it even asking itself what the price would be for the other side."
vbekker@thenational.ae
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Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
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Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
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Age: 59
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Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
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Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
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Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
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The Comeback: Elvis And The Story Of The 68 Special
Simon Goddard
Omnibus Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
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Russia-backed fighters control territory
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
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Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
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Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
- UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
- Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
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Messi at the Copa America
2007 – lost 3-0 to Brazil in the final
2011 – lost to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals
2015 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
2016 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Rich And Famous, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Rio Angie, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB) Dh 92,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Kinver Edge, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
