Massacres at aid distribution sites have become a common occurrence in recent weeks as the Israeli military ever so slightly loosened its blockade against humanitarian aid into Gaza, and tasked itself with aid management under the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The Palestinian Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, estimates that 549 have been killed and several thousands injured near aid sites since late May, when the foundation first began operations. The United Nations estimated that least 410 had been killed at aid sites over a similar time frame.

Soldiers and officers in the Israeli Defense Forces who spoke to Haaretz paint a bleak picture of the scene, indicating the killings are the result of IDF policies targeting civilians in violation of international law.

“Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day,” one soldier said. “They’re treated like a hostile force — no crowd-control measures, no tear gas — just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars. Then, once the center opens, the shooting stops, and they know they can approach. Our form of communication is gunfire.”

The same soldier called the scene “a killing field,” adding that he was “not aware of a single instance of return fire. There’s no enemy, no weapons.”

Another enlisted officer acting as security for a GHF aid center said that “it’s neither ethically nor morally acceptable for people to have to reach, or fail to reach, a [humanitarian zone] under tank fire, snipers and mortar shells.”

Under Israel’s blockade against humanitarian aid, Palestinians in Gaza have been living in rubble under near famine conditions. Despite the creation of the GHF, the United Nations issued a report earlier this month indicating that its operations were insufficient, and it was imperative for an “unlimited and unfettered supply of aid to enter” Gaza.

According to IDF sources who spoke to Haaretz, the Israeli military is theoretically not supposed to be in direct contact with Palestinians at aid points. But as the over 2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza become increasingly desperate for life-sustaining resources, their efforts to secure what limited amounts of food they can are being met with gunfire.

“A combat brigade doesn’t have the tools to handle a civilian population in a war zone,” an Israeli officer said. “Firing mortars to keep hungry people away is neither professional nor humane. I know there are Hamas operatives among them, but there are also people who simply want to receive aid. As a country, we have a responsibility to ensure that happens safely.”

One officer, serving in the division of the notorious IDF Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, said that it was Vach who instituted the policy of using live munitions to disperse crowds. “This is Vach’s policy,” they said, “but many of the commanders and soldiers accepted it without question. [The Palestinians] are not supposed to be there, so the idea is to make sure they clear out, even if they’re just there for food.”

Another soldier, a tank operator, told the publication that while technically tank fire was supposed to be used as a warning, “firing shells has just become standard practice. Every time we fire, there are casualties and deaths, and when someone asks why a shell is necessary, there’s never a good answer. Sometimes, merely asking the question annoys the commanders.”

Earlier this week, as President Donald Trump attempted to enforce a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, reports emerged that dozens of Palestinians — as many as 50 — as well as three aid workers, were killed by IDF gunfire while awaiting aid in Southern Gaza. Similar massacres are taking place on a near daily basis.

“They talk about using artillery on a junction full of civilians as if it’s normal,” one military source told Haaretz of a meeting they attended with leaders of the IDF’s Southern Command. “An entire conversation about whether it’s right or wrong to use artillery, without even asking why that weapon was needed in the first place. What concerns everyone is whether it’ll hurt our legitimacy to keep operating in Gaza. The moral aspect is practically nonexistent. No one stops to ask why dozens of civilians looking for food are being killed every day.”

Markers of the callousness in the IDF’s operations within Gaza continue to elicit shock after more than a year of brutality. One source who spoke to Haaretz indicated that the militarized aid operation in his region of Gaza has a name: Operation Salted Fish.

“Salted Fish” is a reference to an Israeli children’s game similar to red light, green light.

“You know it’s not right. You feel it’s not right — that the commanders here are taking the law into their own hands,” one soldier said. “But Gaza is a parallel universe. You move on quickly. The truth is, most people don’t even stop to think about it.”

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Nikki McCann Ramírez is a Politics Reporter at Rolling Stone, where she covers breaking political news, far-right media, and misinformation. Prior to joining the team, Nikki was an Associate Research Director at the progressive watchdog Media Matters for the US.