{"id":284439,"date":"2025-01-13T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=284439"},"modified":"2025-01-09T03:42:21","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T03:42:21","slug":"no-civilians-everyones-a-terrorist-arbitrary-killings-rampant-lawlessness-in-gazas-netzarim-corridor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/01\/no-civilians-everyones-a-terrorist-arbitrary-killings-rampant-lawlessness-in-gazas-netzarim-corridor\/","title":{"rendered":"No Civilians–Everyone\u2019s a Terrorist\u2019: Arbitrary Killings & Rampant Lawlessness in Gaza\u2019s Netzarim Corridor"},"content":{"rendered":"

23 Dec 2024 – ‘Of 200 bodies, only 10 were confirmed as Hamas members’: IDF soldiers who served in Gaza tell <\/em>Haaretz that anyone who crosses an imaginary line in the contested Neztarim corridor is shot to death, with every Palestinian casualty counting as a terrorist \u2013 even if they were just a child.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Zionist Nahal combat brigade ‘hunting’ in Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor<\/p><\/div>\n

Yaniv Kubovich reports in Haaretz<\/em> on 18 Dec 2024:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The line appears on no map and exists in no official military order. While senior Israel Defense Forces officials might deny its existence, in the heart of the Gaza Strip, north of the Netzarim corridor, nothing is more real.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe forces in the field call it \u2018the line of dead bodies’\u201d a commander in Division 252 tells Haaretz. \u201cAfter shootings, bodies are not collected, attracting packs of dogs who come to eat them. In Gaza, people know that wherever you see these dogs, that\u2019s where you must not go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Netzarim corridor, a seven-kilometer-wide strip of land, stretches from near Kibbutz Be\u2019eri to the Mediterranean coast. The IDF has emptied this area of Palestinian residents and demolished their homes to construct military roads and military positions.<\/p>\n

While Palestinians are officially prohibited from entering, the reality is more severe than a simple exclusion zone. \u201cIt\u2019s military whitewashing,\u201d explains a senior officer in Division 252, who has served three reserve rotations in Gaza. \u201cThe division commander designated this area as a \u2018kill zone.\u2019 Anyone who enters is shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

A recently discharged Division 252 officer describes the arbitrary nature of this boundary: \u201cFor the division, the kill zone extends as far as a sniper can see.\u201d But the issue goes beyond geography. \u201cWe\u2019re killing civilians there who are then counted as terrorists,\u201d he says. \u201cThe IDF spokesperson\u2019s announcements about casualty numbers have turned this into a competition between units. If Division 99 kills 150 [people], the next unit aims for 200.\u201d<\/p>\n

These accounts of indiscriminate killing and the routine classification of civilian casualties as terrorists emerged repeatedly in Haaretz\u2019s conversations with recent Gaza veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalling ourselves the world\u2019s most moral army absolves soldiers who know exactly what we\u2019re doing,\u201d says a senior reserve commander who has recently returned from the Netzarim corridor. \u201cIt means ignoring that for over a year, we\u2019ve operated in a lawless space where human life holds no value. Yes, we commanders and combatants are participating in the atrocity unfolding in Gaza. Now everyone must face this reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

While this officer doesn\u2019t regret mobilizing after October 7 (\u201cwe went into a just war\u201d), he insists the Israeli public deserves the full picture. \u201cPeople need to know what this war really looks like, what serious acts some commanders and fighters are committing inside Gaza. They need to know the inhuman scenes we\u2019re witnessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haaretz has gathered testimonies from active-duty soldiers, career officers, and reservists that reveal the unprecedented authority given to commanders. As the IDF operates across multiple fronts, division commanders have received expanded powers. Previously, bombing buildings or launching airstrikes required approval from the IDF chief of staff. Now, such decisions can be made by lower-ranking officers.<\/p>\n

\u201cDivision commanders now have almost unlimited firepower authority in combat zones,\u201d explains a veteran officer in Division 252. \u201cA battalion commander can order drone strikes, and a division commander can launch conquest operations.\u201d Some sources describe IDF units operating like independent militias, unrestricted by standard military protocols.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Destroyed houses in the Netzarim corridor area, April 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018We took him to the cage\u2019<\/strong>
\nThe chaotic reality has repeatedly forced commanders and fighters to face severe moral dilemmas. \u201cThe order was clear: \u2018Anyone crossing the bridge into the [Netzarim] corridor gets a bullet in the head,’\u201d recalls a veteran fighter from Division 252.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne time, guards spotted someone approaching from the south. We responded as if it was a large militant raid. We took positions and just opened fire. I\u2019m talking about dozens of bullets, maybe more. For about a minute or two, we just kept shooting at the body. People around me were shooting and laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the incident didn\u2019t end there. \u201cWe approached the blood-covered body, photographed it, and took the phone. He was just a boy, maybe 16.\u201d An intelligence officer collected the items, and hours later, the fighters learned the boy wasn\u2019t a Hamas operative \u2013 but just a civilian.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat evening, our battalion commander congratulated us for killing a terrorist, saying he hoped we\u2019d kill ten more tomorrow,\u201d the fighter adds. \u201cWhen someone pointed out he was unarmed and looked like a civilian, everyone shouted him down. The commander said: \u2018Anyone crossing the line is a terrorist, no exceptions, no civilians. Everyone\u2019s a terrorist.\u2019 This deeply troubled me \u2013 did I leave my home to sleep in a mouse-infested building for this? To shoot unarmed people?\u201d<\/p>\n

Similar incidents continue to surface. An officer in Division 252\u2019s command recalls when the IDF spokesperson announced their forces had killed over 200 militants. \u201cStandard procedure requires photographing bodies and collecting details when possible, then sending evidence to intelligence to verify militant status or at least confirm they were killed by the IDF,\u201d he explains. \u201cOf those 200 casualties, only ten were confirmed as known Hamas operatives. Yet no one questioned the public announcement about killing hundreds of militants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another fighter describes witnessing four unarmed people walking normally, spotted by a surveillance drone. Despite clearly not appearing as militants, a tank advanced and opened fire with its machine gun. \u201cHundreds of bullets,\u201d he recalls. Three died immediately (\u201cthe sight haunts me,\u201d he says), while the fourth survived and raised his hands in surrender.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put him in a cage set up near our position, stripped off his clothes, and left him there,\u201d the soldier recounts. \u201cSoldiers passing by spat on him. It was disgusting. Finally, a military interrogator came, questioned him briefly while holding a gun to his head, then ordered his release.\u201d The man had simply been trying to reach his uncles in northern Gaza. \u201cLater, officers praised us for killing \u2018terrorists.\u2019 I couldn\u2019t understand what they meant,\u201d the fighter says.<\/p>\n

After a day or two, the bodies were buried by a bulldozer in the sand. \u201cI don\u2019t know if anyone remembers they\u2019re there. People don\u2019t understand \u2013 this doesn\u2019t just kill Arabs, it kills us too. If called back to Gaza, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll go.\u201d<\/p>\n

In another incident, observation posts spotted two people walking toward Wadi Gaza, an area designated as restricted. A drone revealed they were carrying a white flag and walking with raised hands. The deputy battalion commander ordered troops to shoot to kill. When one commander protested, pointing out the white flag and suggesting they might be hostages, he was overruled. \u201cI don\u2019t know what a white flag is, shoot to kill,\u201d the deputy commander, a reservist from Brigade 5, insisted. The two people eventually turned back south, but the protesting commander was berated as a coward.<\/p>\n

These invisible boundaries north and south of the corridor appear frequently in testimonies. Even soldiers manning ambush positions say they weren\u2019t always clear where these lines were drawn. \u201cAnyone approaching whatever line was decided at that moment is considered a threat \u2013 no permission needed to shoot.\u201d<\/p>\n

This approach isn\u2019t limited to Division 252. A Division 99 reservist describes watching a drone feed showing \u201can adult with two children crossing the forbidden line.\u201d They were walking unarmed, seemingly searching for something. \u201cWe had them under complete surveillance with the drone and weapons aimed at them \u2013 they couldn\u2019t do anything,\u201d he says. \u201cSuddenly we heard a massive explosion. A combat helicopter had fired a missile at them. Who thinks it\u2019s legitimate to fire a missile at children? And with a helicopter? This is pure evil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most commanders interviewed say the air force initially acted as a restraining force, especially regarding drone strikes. They would refuse attacks on unconfirmed targets, populated areas, and humanitarian shelters. However, this caution eroded over time. \u201cThe air force barely questions anything anymore; their safety mechanisms have collapsed too,\u201d one commander states.<\/p>\n

Division 252 found ways around air force oversight using a \u201cmagic word\u201d \u2013 the \u201cflash procedure,\u201d an officer familiar with operations explains. Designed for forces under fire or evacuating casualties, it guarantees an airstrike within 30 minutes with no approvals needed. Any officer from battalion commander up could invoke it. \u201cWhen targeting requests were denied for various reasons, Brigadier General Yehuda Vach would tell us to use the \u2018flash procedure,’\u201d the officer says.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Smoke rises above the Nezarim corridor area, August 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Wild West on Steroids<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vach, 45, born in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, rose through elite military units before commanding the IDF\u2019s Officers Training School. Promoted to brigadier general last summer, he took charge of Division 252. His first address to commanders at a corridor outpost revealed much.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis worldview and political positions were clearly driving his operational decisions,\u201d a veteran officer present recalls. Another officer described him as a \u201csmall Napoleon\u201d unsuited for division command: \u201cThe role requires judgment \u2026 we knew immediately he lacked it, but didn\u2019t realize how badly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Days later, Vach declared \u201cthere are no innocents in Gaza,\u201d according to one officer. While such sentiment isn\u2019t uncommon among soldiers, with Vach \u201cit wasn\u2019t just opinion \u2013 it became operational doctrine: everyone\u2019s a terrorist.\u201d He told his commanders that \u201cin the Middle East, victory comes through conquering territory. We must keep conquering until we win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under Vach, the Wild West atmosphere intensified. The \u201ckill zone\u201d boundary shifted constantly \u2013 \u201c500 meters here today, 500 meters there tomorrow,\u201d says one fighter. While other units also broke rules, officers say Vach went further.<\/p>\n

One of the concepts he introduced was declaring anyone entering the kill zone a terrorist conducting reconnaissance. \u201cEvery woman is a scout, or a man in disguise,\u201d an officer explains. \u201cVach even decided anyone on a bicycle could be killed, claiming cyclists were terrorists\u2019 collaborators.\u201d<\/p>\n

His private initiative to forcibly move northern Gaza\u2019s population south lacked official authorization. \u201cWe searched for operational orders but found nothing,\u201d a command officer says. \u201cThey eventually stopped him.\u201d<\/p>\n

After reports of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar\u2019s death, Vach shared disturbing fantasies during a command briefing about mutilating and desecrating the body. \u201cHow they should have stripped him, placed him in the city square, cut up the corpse and wash it in sewage water. He tried to explain how to cut and dismember the body,\u201d an officer recalls. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t a joke \u2013 this was a formal assessment meeting. His commanders stood shocked silent,\u201d<\/p>\n

Division staff repeatedly sought intervention from Southern Command chief Major General Yaron Finkelman over Vach\u2019s conduct, but Vach seemed to disregard even Finkelman\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n

In early November, Vach\u2019s division left the corridor, replaced by Division 99. Before their final rotation ended, officers demanded explanations for his unauthorized \u201ckill line\u201d and other actions. \u201cThis is unprecedented \u2013 conducting war with everyone doing whatever they want in their sector. Operations launched without proper orders or procedures, just because Vach decided,\u201d an officer present says.<\/p>\n

Vach obsessed over a \u201can image of victory\u201d \u2013 not Israel\u2019s, but his own. He believed emptying northern Gaza of Palestinians would be his triumph. \u201cWe didn\u2019t meet the goal,\u201d he admitted in December. His attempt to drive out 250,000 residents clinging to their homes largely failed, with only hundreds crossing south.<\/p>\n

He told officers that Palestinians must lose their land to learn from Hamas\u2019 October 7 massacre. \u201cFirst he talked about expelling everyone south, thinking he\u2019d implement the Generals\u2019 Plan alone,\u201d a commander recalls. When that proved impossible, he sought alternatives. None materialized.<\/p>\n

In March, Vach is set to return with Division 252 to the Netzarim corridor.<\/p>\n

The IDF on Thursday denied the statements attributed to Vach, saying that the army \u201chas been operating for several months in the [Netzarim] corridor area in central Gaza against the Hamas terrorist organization, carrying out intensive operational activity. All activities and operations of IDF forces in Gaza, including in the Netzarim corridor, are carried out in accordance with established command procedures, with plans approved, and operational orders given by the highest level of command.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll strikes in the area are conducted in accordance with the required protocols, including targeting objectives that are struck within a short time frame due to operational circumstances,\u201d the IDF continued.<\/p>\n

The army added that \u201cthe strikes are targeted solely at military objectives, and before the strikes are carried out, many steps are taken to minimize harm to non-combatants.\u201d The IDF also said that incidents suspected of deviating from IDF orders and ethical guidelines are investigated and handled.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> <\/em>Jews for Justice for Palestinians is a network of Jews who are British or live in Britain, practising and secular, Zionist or not. We oppose Israeli policies that undermine the livelihoods, human, civil and political rights of the Palestinian people. We support the right of Israelis to live in freedom and security within Israel\u2019s 1967 borders. We work to build worldwide Jewish opposition to the Israeli Occupation, with like-minded groups around the world and are a founding member of <\/em>European Jews for a Just Peace<\/em>, a federation of Jewish groups in ten European countries.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

23 Dec 2024 – ‘Of 200 bodies, only 10 were confirmed as Hamas members’: IDF soldiers tell Haaretz that anyone who crosses an imaginary line in the Neztarim corridor is shot to death, counting as a terrorist–even if just a child.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":51207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[3287,1161,417,554,1854,101,100,87,865,1029,487,88,767,2571,427,818,880,99,124,70,965,481,886],"class_list":["post-284439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-palestine-israel-gaza-genocide","tag-anti-zionism","tag-arms-industry","tag-bullying","tag-children","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-cultural-violence","tag-direct-violence","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-hamas","tag-human-rights","tag-israel","tag-middle-east","tag-official-lies-and-narratives","tag-palestine","tag-proxy-war","tag-state-terrorism","tag-structural-violence","tag-united-nations","tag-usa","tag-war-crimes","tag-warfare","tag-zionism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284439","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=284439"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284444,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284439\/revisions\/284444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}