The Israeli army is immersed in the quagmire of the Gaza war (Israeli press)

A military doctor in the Israeli occupation army gave shocking testimony about the violations committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, which included acts of looting, sabotage, setting fire to Palestinian homes, and executing prisoners.

On Friday, Nahum Barnea, the chief analyst for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, published an article in which he presented the verbatim text of a letter from a doctor in the Paratroopers Reserve Brigade who recently completed a two-month service in the Gaza Strip.

Without mentioning the doctor's name, Barnea said, "He recorded his impressions when he left there, and I am quoting his words verbatim."

As a result of the atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip, Israel faces accusations of committing genocide before the International Court of Justice, for the first time in its history, which was met with regional and global welcome and American opposition.

“I will start with an area that has not been touched upon much, which is values ​​in combat, or in my opinion, the values ​​of Israeli society as a test,” the doctor wrote.

He added that one of the most prominent things was the feeling of anger and revenge that swept us all because of the “horrific” events that occurred on October 7, and this of course included me as well, and later, I unfortunately noticed that these feelings led to unrest in several areas.

Systematic theft

In this regard, the doctor revealed that looting has become almost institutionalized (systematic), as he witnessed during his time in Gaza.

He said that the matter begins with the confiscation of large quantities of mattresses, gas stoves, and gas cylinders from occupied homes, and continues with the taking of small souvenirs such as tables and small toys for children.

He added that small, less disciplined forces looted phones, Dyson vacuum cleaners, motorcycles and bicycles.

Regarding these practices, the doctor said, “I felt ashamed, and at some point I stopped commenting because I was seen as a troublemaker.” The doctor also pointed out that the Israeli army was carrying out sabotage operations.

He said that it is legitimate, from a moral standpoint, to cause damage to homes that may pose a threat during an attack, and it is also legitimate to attack the surrounding area and destroy homes that threaten the axes of operations, and this is acceptable to me to be defined as a military mission.

He added that the phenomenon of graffiti, breaking and vandalism inside homes indicates a lack of discipline.

He added that the forces intermittently begin to burn homes, and the brigade commander says that it is okay for him, and the cumulative feeling is that they will do here in Gaza what they did in Huwwara (a Palestinian town near Nablus in the northern West Bank, many of whose homes and vehicles were burned last year).

The doctor also referred to political messages (which soldiers make in videos), saying, “There is almost no barrier to political messages – they are always right-wing and often extremist, and the leaders turn a blind eye.”

Execution of prisoners

The military doctor narrated in his letter about the execution of a prisoner, and his letter prompted the Israeli army to respond that the military police would investigate the incident.

He said during the fighting, 5 elite fighters who surrendered were captured (referring to Al-Qassam Brigades fighters), one of whom had a broken ankle. I took care of him, and I received surprised looks and questions from the soldiers, not because they were angry but because of a lack of understanding as to why I was treating him.

He added, 200 meters away from us, their leader was arrested, and he was suffering from fractures in his limbs. A moment after he was interrogated by a prisoner investigator, a reserve fighter arrived and executed the prisoner, indicating that the execution had been covered up.

He said, "I am not a pacifist, and I fully support the use of significant force when necessary. However, many felt that wearing the Israeli army uniform and crossing the border allowed them to commit all violations."

The Israeli army responded to what was stated in the military doctor’s letter about the execution of a Palestinian prisoner by saying that the incident is under investigation by the military police, and after the investigation is completed, the results will be transferred to the Military Prosecutor’s Office for examination.

For his part, Barnea wrote, “These phenomena do not end in Gaza: Members of kibbutzim in the Gaza envelope say that the soldiers stationed inside the kibbutz vandalized property and looted everything they could get their hands on (...) I heard about similar phenomena in the Israeli towns that were evacuated on the Lebanese border.” .

Since last October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving 27,947 martyrs and 67,459 injured, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive destruction of infrastructure.

Source: Anadolu Agency