Army used Palestinians ‘as human shields’

MORE than two dozen Israeli soldiers who fought in the Gaza war say the military forced Palestinians to serve as human shields and used reckless firepower that caused needless deaths, according to a report released yesterday.

One of the soldiers said the army needlessly used powerful weapons such as mortars and white phosphorous, which can cause severe burns, in the three-week offensive last winter.

Unarmed Gazans were shot dead needlessly.

Soldiers described incidents in which Israeli forces killed an unarmed Palestinian carrying a white cloth, an elderly woman carrying a sack, a Gazan riding a motorcycle, and an elderly man with a flashlight.

The allegations were the strongest evidence to come from Israeli war veterans that the army used excessive force during the war.

The Israeli military rejected the report and accused the group of “defaming and slandering the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and its commanders”.

The testimonies of 26 war veterans were collected by Breaking the Silence, anorganisation of Israeli army reservists critical of Israeli policy toward Palestinians.

They describe demolishing homes and using firepower beyond what was necessary given the relatively light resistance they encountered. One said the regulations on when to shoot were vague.

“Sometimes the force would enter while placing rifle barrels on a civilian’s shoulder, advancing into a house and using him as a human shield. Commanders said these were the instructions and we had to do it,” one soldier said.

None of the soldiers was identified, and dates and locations were not provided for the events they recount. Footage showed soldiers being interviewed with their faces concealed.

Breaking the Silence said it wanted to protect the the soldiers’ identities, fearing they would suffer for speaking out. It said soldiers would “gladly testify” if there were a formal inquiry.

More than 1,400 Palestinians, including more than 900 civilians, were killed in the fighting, thousands of homes were destroyed and Gaza’s infrastructure suffered heavy damage. Thirteen Israelis were killed, including three civilians who died from rocket fire.

The Israeli military questioned the report, saying it was “based on anonymous and general testimonies, without investigating their details or credibility”.

Breaking the Silence was founded in 2004 by soldiers who had served in the West Bank. They have recorded the testimonies of some 670 soldiers about their service in the West Bank and Gaza.