Israeli soldiers search a Palestinian house (Reuters)
Looting has always accompanied Israeli operations, even if it has not received as much coverage and attention as a war crime. But what is new in the war on the Gaza Strip this time is the scope of this plundering, the soldiers’ pride in it, and the army’s weakness in the face of it, as Israeli media say.
Both the newspaper "Haaretz" and the magazine "+972" devoted a report to the phenomenon of looting in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing the extent of its spread and the abundance of oral testimonies to its presence, in addition to the soldiers documenting the looting operations they committed with great pride, and the army's inability to control it, and its lack of effort. sufficient for that.
Haaretz - in a report written by Yagil Levy - began by saying that soldiers, far from the public’s radar, were looting the property of Gaza Strip residents after seizing their homes, and quoted the testimony of a reserve doctor to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, where he said, “Smaller and less disciplined forces looted phones, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.” "Aerobic, is that fair? I was embarrassed."
A combat soldier in the Givati Brigade proudly showed the press a large mirror taken from a house in Khan Yunis, and soldiers also posted videos on social media, one of which shows a soldier proudly displaying football jerseys taken from a house in Gaza, and in another, reservists show off delicious meals prepared from The food they took from the kitchens of Gaza residents.
"+972" indicated that the Palestinian singer Hamada Nasrallah was shocked when he came across on the "Tik Tok" application a soldier playing the guitar that his father bought him 15 years ago. It also stated that video clips showed Israeli soldiers bragging about finding wristwatches, and others showing... Stealing carpets, groceries, and jewelry.
Wholesale certificates
In a Facebook group for Israeli women with nearly 100,000 users, one asked what to do with the “gifts from Gaza” her soldier partner had brought her, posting a photo of the cosmetics, writing, “Everything is sealed except for one product. Do we use these? And does anyone Does he know the products or are they only in Gaza?”
The truth is that since the start of the Israeli ground invasion in late October - as +972 says - soldiers have been taking whatever they can get from the homes of Palestinians who were forced to flee, and this has been widely reported without criticism from the Israeli media. While rabbis from the religious Zionist movement were answering the soldiers’ questions about what is permissible to loot according to Jewish law.
If the rabbis issued fatwas regarding the prohibition of theft, some of them permitted non-compliance with the laws of war towards Palestinians who do not respect those laws, according to his opinion.
Soldiers who returned from fighting in Gaza confirmed that this phenomenon is widespread everywhere, and that their leaders often allow it to happen, admitting that he himself took a “souvenir” from one of the medical centers, and another soldier, who served in northern and central Gaza, testified that the soldiers “took the carpets.” Blankets and kitchen utensils.
The soldier explained that there was no briefing on this matter from the army either before entering or while he was in the field, and he said, “There was no talk about this from the commanders. Everyone knows that people take things. It is considered funny. Some of them say: They sent me to The Hague.” "This is not happening in secret. The leaders have seen it, everyone knows, and no one seems to care."
The soldier pointed out that some of their seniors were doing that as well, and added, “The company sergeant distributed the Qur’an he found and gave it as a gift to whoever wanted it. Another soldier took a group of coffee cups.”
Channel 13 also reported on this phenomenon earlier this month, but instead of condemning it, the presenters simply pointed out that these videos are being shared around the world in order to “shame” Israeli soldiers.
No one cares
Haaretz said that the huge amount of oral testimony on this phenomenon reflects a widespread problem, suggesting that the army is facing difficulty in preventing looting. It explained that this issue was raised in the Chief of Staff’s talks with various units, but no systematic attempt was made to prevent looting. The chief discipline officer issued a letter to the troops about the whole issue dedicated to looting, to show that this problem bothers the army.
Soldiers do not necessarily loot to satisfy their physical needs - as Haaretz sees it - nor are they necessarily motivated by greed. Rather, looting during combat is an expression of the desire for revenge, as soldiers believe that seizing the property of their enemies after defeating them is an indication of complete victory.
The Chief Disciplinary Officer’s arguments revolved around the harm that looting causes to public confidence in the army and unit cohesion, and the contribution it makes to anti-Israel propaganda, but he forgot - according to the newspaper - “to mention the clear and explicit prohibition of theft, especially since it is stipulated in the Book of Joshua, which is a source of inspiration for the army.” ".
In a statement issued this week to commanders in charge of combat units in Gaza, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy urged soldiers “not to take anything that does not belong to us,” but this message comes after several months in which looting has become completely routine.
Soldiers do not necessarily loot to meet their physical needs - as Haaretz sees it - nor are they necessarily motivated by greed. Rather, looting during combat is an expression of the desire for revenge, as soldiers believe that seizing the property of their enemies after defeating them symbolizes complete victory.
It is not a coincidence that looting is accompanied by the destruction of property, because it reflects a denial of the enemy’s humanity, which makes it acceptable to search their personal property and choose what to take from it, which is a confirmation of the saying “there are no innocent civilians” in Gaza, and therefore it is okay to harm civilians even after they flee. It is therefore a continuation of this war of revenge by other means.
Source: Israeli press + Haaretz