DaysofPal- In a shocking report that has sparked widespread controversy, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that senior commanders in the Israeli army issued direct orders to their soldiers to open fire on Palestinian civilians approaching humanitarian aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, effectively turning relief points into sites of mass killings.
According to testimonies from soldiers currently serving in Gaza, the orders were explicit: fire on anyone approaching aid areas, regardless of whether they posed a threat or were unarmed. The soldiers stressed that this was implemented as a field policy, not as isolated or exceptional behavior.
Haaretz reported that Israeli forces used medium and heavy weaponry, including machine guns, armored vehicles, and drones, in operations where the gunfire resembled a military response to an armed attack, even though the targets were starving civilians.
One soldier was quoted saying, “We were shooting at hungry people as if we were repelling an armed assault, while they were merely trying to get food.” The report added that many of the shootings were conducted at very close range, targeting unarmed individuals, including women and the elderly.
According to the newspaper, aid distribution sites have become “death traps,” as over 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza struggle under catastrophic humanitarian conditions, where the pursuit of food may cost one’s life.
This revelation comes amid mounting international pressure on the Israeli occupation over its ongoing violations in Gaza, particularly the alleged use of starvation as a weapon of war—a practice the United Nations has described as possibly rising to the level of crimes against humanity.
While the Israeli occupation has previously justified some incidents as “warning shots at suspected threats,” the Haaretz report undermines that narrative and points instead to a systematic policy of violent deterrence rather than civilian protection.
The report is expected to provoke strong reactions from human rights organizations and international courts, which have renewed calls for transparent and independent investigations to hold accountable those responsible for these violations, and to prevent the militarization of humanitarian aid and its transformation into a tool of repression and mass killing.
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