Israeli commanders have normalized the use of tank fire, mortar shells, and machine guns against hungry civilians, turning food lines into mass graves
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Cross-posted from The Cradle
sraeli soldiers say they are receiving direct orders to shoot unarmed Palestinians seeking food aid at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution points, even when no threat is present, according to several testimonies published by Haaretz on 26 June
One soldier described the area near GHF sites as “a killing field,” where lethal force is routinely used to disperse crowds desperate for food.
“Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day,” the unnamed soldier reveals, explaining that civilians are “treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars.”
The practice, referred to as “Operation Salted Fish” – the name of the Israeli version of the children’s game “Red light, green light” – is described as deliberate and systematic.
“Once, the mortars stopped firing, and we saw people starting to approach. So we resumed fire to make it clear they weren’t allowed to,” an officer tasked with securing a GHF site told the Hebrew daily. “In the end, one of the shells landed on a group of people.”
GHF sites, established with Israeli and US sponsorship at the end of May, are surrounded by tanks and snipers.
The Israeli army claims to protect the areas, but soldiers say their rules of engagement include using artillery and small arms fire to control civilians. “Firing mortars to keep hungry people away is neither professional nor humane,” an officer said.
“Gaza doesn’t interest anyone anymore,” another reservist, who completed a round of duty in northern Gaza this week, told Haaretz. “It’s become a place with its own set of rules. The loss of human life means nothing. It’s not even an ‘unfortunate incident,’ like they used to say.”
A veteran fighter also noted that private contractors operate with financial incentives to destroy Palestinian homes.
“Today, any private contractor working in Gaza with engineering equipment receives 5,000 shekels for every house they demolish. They’re making a fortune,” he said. “These are areas where Palestinians are allowed to be – we’re the ones who moved closer and decided [they] endangered us.”
Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, head of Division 252, is repeatedly named in testimonies as the architect behind this policy.
According to one officer, Vach gave explicit orders to open fire on civilians gathering for UN aid trucks, telling his troops: “Not one truck should enter.”
The Israeli commander has also been linked to a campaign to “flatten” Gaza and block aid deliveries as a punitive measure.
“Sometimes we’re told they’re still hiding, and we need to fire in their direction because they haven’t left,” said another soldier. “But it’s obvious they can’t leave if the moment they get up and run, we open fire.”
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed near GHF distribution sites since 27 May, with dozens killed in single incidents on 11, 17, and 24 June.
A senior Israeli officer said, “Why have we reached a point where a teenager is willing to risk his life just to pull a sack of rice off a truck? And that’s who we’re firing artillery at?”
Military sources confirmed that demolitions often bring soldiers into direct confrontation with civilians, triggering deadly incidents to protect contractors and maintain operational control.
“It’s deemed acceptable to kill people who are only looking for food,” one soldier remarked bluntly.
In a closed-door meeting, legal officers from the Military Advocate General’s Office pushed back against claims that the killings were isolated. “This is not about a few people being killed – we’re talking about dozens of casualties every day,” one said.
Haaretz’s earlier investigations into Division 252 have revealed the existence of “extermination zones” along the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, where Palestinians are indiscriminately shot and later counted as “terrorists.”
One reservist testified, “We killed a young boy, 16 years old, maybe. The commander said: ‘For me, anyone who crosses the line is a terrorist, no discounts, no civilians.’”
Soldiers have also reported photographing the dead for intelligence processing. “Out of 200 killed for testing, only 10 were verified as Hamas activists,” one reservist said.
Despite growing internal concern, there have been no disciplinary actions. “You know it’s not right – that the commanders here are taking the law into their own hands. But Gaza is a parallel universe. You move on quickly,” said another soldier.
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