Refuse to Fight Anymore – Soldiers Testify About Gaza's Horrors

Before Yuval Green's platoon entered Gaza, the commanders decided that they would show no mercy. The Gazans were demonized: everyone was to be killed, everything was to be destroyed. A year into the war, more and more Israeli soldiers are choosing to desert the army and speak out. Others are taking their lives.

» Published: November 04 2024

Refuse to Fight Anymore – Soldiers Testify About Gaza's Horrors
Photo: Tsafrir Abayov/AP/TT

The destruction in Khan Yunis was unimaginable. Building after building was reduced to ruins "solely out of Israeli revenge," according to Yuval Green. When his commander told the platoon to burn down the house where they were stationed, the cup overflowed.

I said: "I'm not ready to participate in that. I don't think I'll destroy a house belonging to families who are now becoming homeless," said the former soldier to CNN in August.

The 26-year-old claims to have witnessed how other soldiers plundered countless residences. Many took "souvenirs" from the Palestinians' homes, according to Green, who says that high-ranking officers officially distanced themselves from looting and similar actions, but did nothing to stop it.

28-year-old Max Kresch spent three months at the Israeli-Lebanese border before he had enough. He claims that many of his comrades were driven by religious fanaticism. One soldier claimed that it is a Jewish religious duty to kill Palestinians in Gaza – even children.

Because they would grow up to be terrorists, explains Kresch to CNN.

When he came home in December, he was afflicted with deep depression, like many soldiers who had served in Gaza. According to Israel's military, thousands of soldiers have received or are receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, or other psychological problems as a result of the war, Israeli media reports.

Four-Father Took His Life

At least ten soldiers have committed suicide since the outbreak of war in October last year, reported Haaretz in May. Since then, more have gone the same way, including 40-year-old four-father Eliran Mizrahi. When he came home from his first stint in Gaza, he was changed, his family says to CNN: angry, withdrawn, impatient with the children. He had nightmares, sweated, and had trouble sleeping.

In June, two months after being diagnosed with PTSD and two days before he was to return to the war, he took his life.

He got out of Gaza, but Gaza stayed with him, says his mother Jenny Mizrahi.

Mizrahi's colleague Guy Zaken has previously testified in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, about how he and Mizrahi drove over "hundreds of terrorists, dead and alive" with their bulldozer. To CNN, Zaken says he suffers from insomnia and has stopped eating meat – it reminds him too much of the blood and bodies in Gaza.

We saw very, very, very terrible things. Things that are hard to accept.

"Shoot Whatever You Want"

Michael Ofer Ziv left the army after two months. As an operational commander, he spent his days staring at grainy, black-and-white live broadcasts from Israeli drones over Gaza. Every day, he had a quota of airstrikes to approve. One by one, buildings exploded on his screen, boom boom boom, like a video game.

In the evenings, other images appeared on his phone: Palestinians screaming in grief, carrying their dead loved ones in their arms.

You're far away, and it doesn't feel real. You see vehicles, houses, people being shot. Every time a building collapses, everyone says "wow," he says to Haaretz.

But then I realized: that's a house that's collapsing. If there were people there, they're dead now. And even if there weren't any people, everything else – TVs, memories, pictures, clothes – is gone.

Michael Ofer Ziv describes indiscriminate Israeli shelling, an atmosphere of "shoot whatever you want."

Killed Civilians

A 26-year-old who was responsible for finding and killing Hamas members, referred to as A by Haaretz, describes the same thing. If his group couldn't find the right person, they would choose someone else to kill, often without proper knowledge of who it was.

They (the military) justify it in hundreds of ways, says A to Haaretz.

When you finally blow him up in the air, you say "no, we see no problem with the fact that his whole family was in the house".

Once, it turned out that the man they were supposed to kill wasn't home when the bomb fell. Instead, two women were killed, and several more were injured. A left the military when he realized that he was breaking both the laws of war and his own conscience.

"The Right Side of History"

The soldiers who choose to leave are still a clear minority in Israel's 169,000-strong army. But they are becoming more and more.

In October, over 130 Israeli soldiers wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, stating that they refuse to fight unless a ceasefire agreement is reached. Transportation Minister Miri Regev has demanded that all who signed the letter be arrested.

28-year-old Yotam Vilk had spent over 230 days in Gaza when he decided to abandon the army. He's not worried about the consequences, he says to CNN.

I'm more concerned about my moral decisions, my well-being, and my ability to look back and feel that I made the right decision. That I was on the right side of history.

During the war, reports of war crimes have repeatedly been denied by Israel's military, which claims to investigate all allegations and always try to avoid civilian casualties.

More than 43,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed since the start of the war, which followed terrorist-stamped Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. The figures come from health authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Among the dead are around 300 aid workers, nearly 900 medical workers, and about 170 journalists/media workers.

Around 1.9 million people, almost the entire population, are on the run within the Gaza Strip's borders, according to UN estimates. Many of them have been forced to flee multiple times.

More than half of the residential buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed in Israeli attacks.

Nearly half a million people in the area are estimated to face catastrophic levels of food shortages, according to FN-supported IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification).

Around 90 percent of Gaza's school buildings are damaged or destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of students have not been able to continue their education due to the war.

Source: Ocha, Unosat, WHO, IPC

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Genre image
1 MIN READ

Russian Drone Strikes on Ukraine Leave 3 Dead, 32 Injured

Israel Updates Music Festival Death
2 MIN READ

Israel Updates Music Festival Death Toll to 378 After Investigation

Two Dead in Norwegian Plane
1 MIN READ

Two Dead in Norwegian Plane Crash Near Bergen Lake

Pentagon Probes Use of Signal
1 MIN READ

Pentagon Probes Use of Signal App for Discussing Yemen Attack Plans

Genre image
1 MIN READ

Frederiksen to USA: Annexation Not an Option, Let's Strengthen Arctic Security

Seoul Braces for Verdict as
3 MIN READ

Seoul Braces for Verdict as South Korea Awaits Yoon's Fate

Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises
2 MIN READ

Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises as Aid Efforts Intensify

Trump Fires Key Security Officials
2 MIN READ

Trump Fires Key Security Officials After Oval Office Meeting

Serbian Students Bike 130 Miles
1 MIN READ

Serbian Students Bike 130 Miles to EU Parliament Seeking Support

Iranian Judge Linked to 1988
1 MIN READ

Iranian Judge Linked to 1988 Executions Dies at 70

UN Alarmed by Reports of
1 MIN READ

UN Alarmed by Reports of Civilian Executions in Sudan

Mother and Daughter Found Shot
1 MIN READ

Mother and Daughter Found Shot Dead in Norway; Suspect Also Dead

Elon Musk to Stay as
1 MIN READ

Elon Musk to Stay as Advisor to Trump, Confirms JD Vance

Israeli Legal Experts Call for
1 MIN READ

Israeli Legal Experts Call for War Crimes Probe into Gaza Attack

EU Parliament Approves Delay in
1 MIN READ

EU Parliament Approves Delay in Key Sustainability Rules

Denmark Stands Firm on Sovereignty
2 MIN READ

Denmark Stands Firm on Sovereignty in Talks with US

Modi's New Law Fuels Discrimination
1 MIN READ

Modi's New Law Fuels Discrimination Concerns in India

Israel Probes Deadly Ambulance Shooting
1 MIN READ

Israel Probes Deadly Ambulance Shooting in Gaza Strip

California Wildfires Claim 30 Lives
1 MIN READ

California Wildfires Claim 30 Lives as Recovery Efforts Continue

Norovirus Hits Queen Mary 2
1 MIN READ

Norovirus Hits Queen Mary 2 Cruise, Over 240 Passengers Affected

Rubio Affirms US Commitment to
3 MIN READ

Rubio Affirms US Commitment to NATO, Calls for Increased Defense Spending

Bandidos European President Michael Rosenvold
1 MIN READ

Bandidos European President Michael Rosenvold Passes Away

Denmark Pledges Major Support Package
1 MIN READ

Denmark Pledges Major Support Package to Ukraine

Russia Not on US Tariff
2 MIN READ

Russia Not on US Tariff List Despite Broad Global Reach

Gaza Blockade Endangers Pregnant Women
1 MIN READ

Gaza Blockade Endangers Pregnant Women and Newborns, Says Save the Children

Tragedy Strikes as Boats Sink
1 MIN READ

Tragedy Strikes as Boats Sink Near Greece and Turkey, 16 Migrants Dead

Search for Missing MH370 Paused
1 MIN READ

Search for Missing MH370 Paused Until Year-End, Says Malaysia

17 Tesla Cars Set Ablaze
1 MIN READ

17 Tesla Cars Set Ablaze in Rome; Italy Boosts Security Measures

US Calls for UN Official's
1 MIN READ

US Calls for UN Official's Removal Over Alleged Anti-Semitic Views

Russian Envoy Dmitrijev Meets US
1 MIN READ

Russian Envoy Dmitrijev Meets US Officials in Washington for Talks

31 Killed in Israeli Air
1 MIN READ

31 Killed in Israeli Air Strike on Gaza School Shelter

Slovakia Approves Culling of 350
1 MIN READ

Slovakia Approves Culling of 350 Bears After Fatal Attack

Mike Waltz's Extensive Use of
1 MIN READ

Mike Waltz's Extensive Use of Signal Raises Security Concerns

Frederiksen Pledges Support for Greenland
2 MIN READ

Frederiksen Pledges Support for Greenland During Challenging Times

Elon Musk Expected to Exit
2 MIN READ

Elon Musk Expected to Exit White House Role Soon, Sources Say

NATO Faces Silence on Turkey's
2 MIN READ

NATO Faces Silence on Turkey's Journalist Arrest Before Key Meeting

Federal Court Dismisses Corruption Charges
1 MIN READ

Federal Court Dismisses Corruption Charges Against NYC Mayor Adams

Congo President Commutes Death Sentences
1 MIN READ

Congo President Commutes Death Sentences for Americans in Coup Plot

Putin and Trump Not Meeting
1 MIN READ

Putin and Trump Not Meeting in Saudi Arabia, Kremlin Confirms

Ben-Gvir's Temple Mount Visit Sparks
2 MIN READ

Ben-Gvir's Temple Mount Visit Sparks Regional Condemnation