Israeli soldiers speak out on killings of Gaza civilians

"If you want to shoot without restraint, you can, Daniel, the commander of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tank unit, says in Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel's War, due to be broadcast in the UK on ITV on Monday evening. Some of the IDF soldiers who talked to the programme requested anonymity while others spoke on the record. All pointed to the evaporation of the official code of conduct concerning civilians."

"In basic training for the army, we all chanted means, intent and ability', Capt Yotam Vilk, an armoured corps officer, says in reference to the official IDF training guidelines stipulating that a soldier can fire only if the target has the means, shows intent and has the ability to cause harm. There's no such thing as means, intent and ability' in Gaza, Vilk says."

"Life and death isn't determined by procedures or opening fire regulations. It's the conscience of the commander on the ground that decides. In those circumstances, the designation of who is an enemy or terrorist becomes arbitrary, Eli says in the documentary. If they're walking too fast, they're suspicious. If they're walking too slow, they're suspicious. They're plotting something. If three men are walking and one of them lags behind, it's a two-to-one infantry formation it's a"

Israeli soldiers describe a breakdown of norms and legal constraints in Gaza, with civilians killed arbitrarily and discretion left to commanders on the ground. Soldiers report routine use of human shields and unprovoked shootings of civilians rushing to humanitarian distribution points. Standard training rules requiring "means, intent and ability" to justify firing are reportedly ignored in practice. Suspicion is applied arbitrarily based on movement, speed, or grouping, turning ordinary civilians into presumed threats. Some accounts were on the record while others were anonymous, and testimony portrays operational behavior that contradicts official denials of certain tactics.

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