Israeli soldiers in Gaza received orders from their commanders to burn Palestinian houses and everything else in Gaza, Haaretz newspaper reported on Thursday.
According to the commanders interviewed by “Haaretz”, the houses that were set on fire were selected based on intelligence information.
The three commanders confirmed that burning down houses in Gaza has become a common practice.
The practice was applied to specific cases, but with the continuation of the war, it became common, according to “Haaretz”.
In recent weeks, Israeli soldiers have posted videos on social media of themselves setting fire to houses, while other arsons have been dedicated to soldiers who died fighting in Gaza.
A letter from one of the soldiers was published on social networks, in which it is stated that he did not set the house on fire, but left others to enjoy it.
“We don’t burn down the house so you can enjoy it, and when you leave – you’ll know what to do,” the letter states.
The newspaper “Haaretz” reminds that burning the houses of civilians who are not participating in the fighting, for the purpose of punishment, is prohibited by international law.
Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on October 7th following a cross-border attack by Hamas, killing at least 27,019 Palestinians and wounding 66,139 so far.
According to United Nations (UN) data, due to the Israeli offensive, 85 percent of the population of the Gaza Strip has been internally displaced and faces an acute shortage of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
