Senior Israeli officers spoke out yesterday after soldiers’ testimonies were published by Israeli media, which described in detail cases of deliberate opening of fire on Palestinians near aid distribution points in Gaza over the past month. The officers admitted that civilians were killed due to “imprecise and reckless” artillery fire.
According to officers of the Southern Command of the Israeli army, the shelling was aimed at maintaining order at food distribution sites, but the army has since switched to “other methods.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that in the most serious incident of shelling civilians, between 30 and 40 people were hit – some killed, others injured to varying degrees.
A senior IDF officer also stated that he supports the continuation of the offensive in Gaza, called Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which contradicts the position of Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir, who said last week that the operation is nearing the achievement of its goals. According to this senior official, the offensive in Gaza can lead to “positive changes.”
Nevertheless, the official expressed concern about the slow advance of ground troops, stressing that the IDF must be careful not to “get stuck like in Lebanon or Vietnam.”
Meanwhile, the IDF currently assesses that there is no hunger in Gaza. Officials of the Southern Command claim that the population is generally satisfied with the food distribution process and that the IDF is working to correct existing problems.
Military sources state that large quantities of food arriving in aid convoys have been looted by clans, due to the fact that Hamas no longer controls large parts of the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, the IDF clarified that it does not act against those who loot convoys, as its responsibility, they say, is to ensure the entry of aid into Gaza, not its distribution to final points.
Most aid is currently distributed through centers run by the United States (U.S.) company Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), but the IDF notes that additional food is delivered separately as “supplementary aid,” in accordance with directives of the Israeli government.
As part of the lessons learned, the IDF has decided to temporarily close the complex in Tel al-Sultan in the south of Gaza and establish a new distribution point nearby, in order to reduce tensions with civilians and increase the safety of humanitarian personnel.
In addition to the new point, three existing distribution centers will continue to operate – two in the south of the Gaza Strip and one in the central part, south of the Netzarim corridor. The army added that the Israeli government has ordered a halt to aid deliveries through northern Gaza.
It is estimated that around 50 million meals have entered Gaza so far, and the price of flour is the lowest since the beginning of the war in October 2023. However, the IDF notes that Gaza is plagued by disorder and chaos, and that the forces are not succeeding in controlling the population as they would like.
Senior officers of the Southern Command criticized international organizations for, as they stated, refusing to cooperate with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and suggested that they want the aid distribution project to fail. They emphasized that they share relevant intelligence data with the fund to protect the lives of workers and stressed that they will allow the fund to continue working even if a ceasefire agreement is signed.
Last Friday, Israeli media revealed a series of testimonies from IDF officers and soldiers who served in Gaza, stating that in recent weeks they had received orders to fire on unarmed crowds approaching food distribution points – even when they did not pose a threat.
In its first response to the Israeli media reports, the IDF spokesperson refused to deny the claims about the orders. However, in a second statement, the IDF stated that it “strongly rejects the accusation from the article – the IDF did not order troops to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching food distribution centers.”
