{"id":255767,"date":"2024-02-26T12:01:23","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T12:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=255767"},"modified":"2024-02-25T11:56:17","modified_gmt":"2024-02-25T11:56:17","slug":"rugs-cosmetics-motorbikes-israeli-soldiers-are-looting-gaza-homes-en-masse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2024\/02\/rugs-cosmetics-motorbikes-israeli-soldiers-are-looting-gaza-homes-en-masse\/","title":{"rendered":"Rugs, Cosmetics, Motorbikes: Israeli Soldiers Are Looting Gaza Homes en Masse"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Israeli soldiers play cards inside a building in Al-Shati refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 16 Nov 2023.\u00a0 (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p><\/div>\n

Soldiers describe how stealing Palestinian property has become totally routine in the Gaza atrocities, with minimal pushback from commanders. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

20 Feb 2024<\/em> – Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza have not been shy about posting videos on social media gleefully documenting their wanton destruction of buildings and humiliation of Palestinian detainees<\/a>. Some of these clips were even exhibited in South Africa\u2019s presentation at the International Court of Justice last month as evidence of genocide<\/a>. But there is another war crime being readily documented by Israeli soldiers that has garnered less attention and condemnation despite its prevalence: looting.<\/p>\n

In November, the Palestinian singer Hamada Nasrallah was shocked<\/a> to discover a TikTok of a soldier playing the guitar that his father had bought him 15 years earlier. Other videos uploaded to social media in recent months show Israeli soldiers boasting<\/a> about finding wristwatches; unboxing<\/a> someone\u2019s collection of soccer shirts; and stealing<\/a> rugs, groceries, and jewelry.<\/p>\n

In a Facebook group for Israeli women comprising nearly 100,000 users, someone wondered<\/a> what to do with the \u201cgifts from Gaza\u201d that her partner, a soldier, had brought back for her. Sharing a photo of cosmetic products, she wrote: \u201cEverything is sealed except for one product. Would you use these? And does someone know the products or are they only in Gaza?\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, since the start of Israel\u2019s ground invasion in late October, soldiers have been taking whatever they can get their hands on from the homes of Palestinians who have been forced to flee<\/a>. More than an open secret, the phenomenon has been widely \u2014 and uncritically<\/a> \u2014 reported in the Israeli media, while rabbis from the Religious Zionist movement have been answering soldiers\u2019 questions about what is permissible to loot according to Jewish law.<\/p>\n

Soldiers who returned from fighting in Gaza confirmed to +972 Magazine and Local Call that the phenomenon is ubiquitous, and that for the most part their commanders are allowing it to happen. \u201cPeople took things \u2014 mugs, books, each one the souvenir that does it for him,\u201d said one soldier, who admitted that he himself took a \u201csouvenir\u201d from one of the medical centers that the army occupied.<\/p>\n

\"Israeli<\/a><\/p>\n
Israeli soldiers from the 646 Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade operating in Al-Bureij camp, central Gaza Strip, January 2, 2023. (Oren Ben Hakoon\/Flash90)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Another soldier, who served in northern and central Gaza, testified that soldiers \u201ctook rugs, blankets, [and] kitchen utensils,\u201d and explained that there was no briefing on the matter from the army either before entering or while in the field. \u201cThere was zero talk about it from the commanders,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone knows that people are taking things. It\u2019s considered funny \u2014 people say: \u2018Send me to The Hague.\u2019 It doesn\u2019t happen in secret. The commanders saw, everyone knows, and no one seems to care.\u201d<\/p>\n

The soldier offered his explanation for why the phenomenon is so widespread: \u201cThere is something about this reality in which the house is already [in ruins] that allows you to take a plate or rug. In one of the operations, in a destroyed house, there was a cupboard with antique kitchen utensils, special plates, special mugs. I saw them being looted, unfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[The commanders] didn\u2019t really talk to us about it,\u201d another soldier testified. \u201cThey didn\u2019t say you couldn\u2019t take things. And most people felt the need to take a souvenir.\u201d<\/p>\n

The soldier noted that the looting was no secret; indeed, some of their seniors were doing it too. \u201cThe company sergeant major distributed Qur\u2019an study books that he found and gave to whomever wanted them,\u201d he said. \u201cAnother soldier took a set of coffee mugs, a serving tray, and a pot. Another unit, whom we met after they returned from a tour, brought a motorcycle, like the Nukhba [Hamas special forces] motorcycles. One of the soldiers declared that it was his. They [the soldiers] talked about renovating it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another soldier who served in Gaza told +972 and Local Call that soldiers took \u201cprayer beads, spoons, glasses, coffee pots, jewelry, rings. Whatever is easy and accessible is taken. Not everything, but people felt like the lords of the land.\u201d He noted also that \u201cmaps from children\u2019s textbooks were taken to show how they are taught there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Israeli<\/a><\/p>\n
Israeli soldiers from the 8717 Battalion of the Givati Brigade operating in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, December 28, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In contrast to the others who testified, this soldier said that it was clear to him that looting was forbidden. \u201cIn my experience, of course, it\u2019s a big no no,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey emphasized this issue, but no one supervises the reservists. The most common thing [to steal] is \u2018local souvenirs\u2019 [i.e. quintessentially Palestinian or Arab items]. Once, they kicked out a soldier who stole money.\u201d<\/p>\n

The soldier added that he and his team tried, with varying degrees of success, to persuade other soldiers to leave behind the items they had stolen in Gaza. \u201cThey [soldiers] would come back with things; we told them it was better to leave them [inside the Strip, near the fence], it\u2019s better to throw them away than to take them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018From the ruins of Khan Younis, in the classic Gazan style\u2019<\/h3>\n

In a communique<\/a> this week to commanders in charge of units fighting in Gaza, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi urged soldiers \u201cnot to take anything that is not ours.\u201d But this letter comes after several months in which looting has become completely routine.<\/p>\n

So normalized is the phenomenon that in a recent segment<\/a> on Israel\u2019s public broadcaster, Kan, soldiers presented reporter Uri Levy with a mirror they had brought back from Gaza. \u201cFrom the ruins of Khan Younis, in the classic Gazan style,\u201d Levy jokes, without asking the soldiers where they found the mirror or why they stole it. In a column<\/a> on Ynet, Nahum Barnea quotes a soldier who said he saw the looting of \u201cphones, vacuum cleaners, motorcycles, and bicycles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Israeli<\/a><\/p>\n
Israeli soldiers display a mirror they stole from Gaza on Israel\u2019s public broadcaster, Kan. (Screenshot)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Channel 13 also reported<\/a> on the phenomenon earlier this month. Rather than condemning it, however, the presenters simply noted that the videos are being shared around the world to \u201cshame\u201d Israeli soldiers. (The segment also included an interview with the soldier who filmed himself with the wristwatches he found inside a Palestinian home, who claims that he did not steal them: \u201cThey see me holding watches, not looting, nothing \u2026 My intention was to show that the Hamas leadership lives there at a high level.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Another sign of how widespread the phenomenon has become is the fact that rabbis from the Religious Zionist movement have been receiving questions from soldiers on the issue. In a Q&A<\/a> uploaded to YouTube, Rabbi Yitzchak Sheilat of the Ma\u2019ale Adumim Yeshiva in the occupied West Bank noted that looting is forbidden.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very serious issue, in two respects: in terms of halacha [Jewish law] and military law,\u201d he said. \u201cHalacha permits looting only food or perishable things from the enemy \u2026 taking objects is strictly prohibited. According to halacha, all the spoils must go to the king, that is, the army commander \u2026 It would be a shame for someone to be caught and have to pay a heavy price.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the soldiers asked the rabbi if it is permissible to take things from a house before it is demolished. \u201cIt is forbidden to take things,\u201d Sheilat answered. \u201cIf you take something, it must be handed over to the chief of staff.\u201d \u201cAnd if a commander approves taking things for the company?\u201d a soldier asked. \u201cNo, that\u2019s exactly the problem, that there are commanders who don\u2019t know military law, or don\u2019t want to know, and suddenly they allow guys [to do] things they shouldn\u2019t allow,\u201d Sheilat replied.<\/p>\n

However, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of the northern city of Safed, offered a different perspective on the issue in a Q&A<\/a> of his own. He explained that because the \u201cArabs in Gaza do not observe international conventions, we are not obliged to abide by any of the rules of war. Nonetheless, we are very careful, because we want to preserve the image of God within us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Israeli<\/a><\/p>\n
Israeli soldiers from the 8717 Battalion of the Givati Brigade operating in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, December 28, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It should be noted that in addition to the \u201cindependent\u201d looting by soldiers, there is a special unit in the Israeli army dedicated to seizing<\/a> money and other property found in the battlefield. So far, it is known<\/a> that the military has seized tens of millions of shekels from Gaza, which it claims belonged to Hamas.<\/p>\n

\u2018And you shall eat the riches of all the nations\u2019<\/h3>\n

Alongside the looting of Palestinians\u2019 belongings, Israeli soldiers are also routinely eating the food they find in Gaza\u2019s abandoned homes. \u201cAfter two or three weeks, soldiers use whatever they find, clean it, and disinfect it,\u201d a soldier told +972 and Local Call \u2014 though, according to him, soldiers are not supposed to use food found in Palestinian homes in case it is contaminated. Others said that no precise instructions were given regarding how to behave while staying in houses, many of which are set on fire or blown up<\/a> by the army once they are no longer of use.<\/p>\n

In a recent Haaretz article<\/a>, Israeli soldiers described their \u201cexperiences\u201d of cooking in Palestinian homes using the ingredients they found there. \u201cGazan cuisine, from what we\u2019ve seen, is full of spices,\u201d one soldier said in the article. \u201cIn every house you\u2019ll find a lot of ras el hanout style mixes. There are also plenty of lentils, so at first we made a lot of stews \u2026. Every house we stayed in had olives that [Palestinians] make, which we tasted \u2026 Olive oil is also present in every home, in gallons, and it helps a lot to upgrade any food. They also have a great spicy sauce.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you encounter special things \u2014 suddenly there\u2019s garlic and then you go all out on pasta with tomatoes and garlic,\u201d the soldier continued. \u201cI also came across this carob sauce that we added to the porridge and it was excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last month, a letter<\/a> published by the military rabbinate detailed instructions on how to keep kosher when using food and utensils found in homes in Gaza. The letter, signed by Rabbi Avishai Peretz ends with the biblical directive<\/a>: \u201cAnd you shall eat the riches of all the nations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbi Sheilat also addressed the issue of whether it is permissible to eat food found in Palestinian homes in his Q&A. \u201cWith regard to non-kosher foods, there is a difference between what happens when you find food in enemy homes, where the law is that if you find food that you don\u2019t have, and you want that food, even if it\u2019s not essential, say sweets \u2026 it\u2019s permitted to eat them without worrying whether it\u2019s kosher or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement to +972 and Local Call, the IDF Spokesperson said: \u201cThe IDF views with severity any case in which soldiers act contrary to the spirit of the IDF, including cases of unlawful taking of property. IDF commanders in various units conduct an ongoing dialogue on the subject throughout the fighting. Every report received on the subject is examined and dealt with individually. In relevant cases, an investigation is opened by the military police, and in some cases suspects are detained for interrogation purposes. The IDF operates in accordance with international law and will continue to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

_____________________________________________<\/p>\n

A version of this article was first published in Hebrew on <\/i>Local Call. Read it <\/i>here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Oren Ziv is a photojournalist and reporter for<\/em> Local Call, and a founding member of the<\/em> Activestills photography collective.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 972mag.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

20 Feb 2024 – Soldiers describe how stealing Palestinian property has become totally routine in the Gaza atrocities, with minimal pushback from IDF commanders or anybody else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":255781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[532,1854,87,865,1643,1644,88,2416,715,427,124,70,965,1025],"class_list":["post-255767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-palestine-israel-gaza-genocide","tag-colonialism","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-genocide-convention","tag-international-court-of-justice-icj","tag-israel","tag-israeli-occupation","tag-massacre","tag-palestine","tag-united-nations","tag-usa","tag-war-crimes","tag-west-bank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255767"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":255786,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255767\/revisions\/255786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}