Quick summary:
• Israeli forces have designated Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor as a kill zone, where anyone crossing a shifting line is shot, regardless of being unarmed, a child, or waving a white flag.
• Soldiers leave corpses uncollected, allowing dogs to scavenge the bodies as a deterrent to Gazans.
• Military units compete for higher body counts, with commanders congratulating soldiers for killing civilians labeled as terrorists.
• A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed, with soldiers laughing and taking photos of his body; a commander claimed, “Anyone crossing the line is a terrorist.”
• Another incident involved soldiers firing hundreds of bullets at four unarmed individuals; three were killed, and the survivor was abused before being released after questioning.
• Open-fire policies have loosened, allowing field commanders to authorize strikes with little oversight, leading to increased civilian casualties.
• The IDF denies wrongdoing, claiming all operations target military objectives and follow approved procedures.
Israeli forces have created a “kill zone” in Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor, where anyone crossing a shifting and arbitrary line is deemed a terrorist and subject to immediate execution. Soldiers operating in the area have been authorized to fire on any individual, regardless of whether they are armed, unarmed, waving a white flag, or even a child. This policy, detailed in an investigation by Haaretz, reflects an alarming normalization of violence and disregard for human life in the occupied territory.
The investigation, based on interviews with Israeli soldiers and commanders, reveals that the military’s open-fire policy treats every Palestinian in the corridor as a target. Soldiers have recounted incidents of shooting civilians indiscriminately, leaving their bodies uncollected, where they are often scavenged by dogs.
The Netzarim Corridor, a seven-kilometer stretch of road bisecting Gaza from the Israeli border to the Mediterranean, has become a no-go zone where soldiers enforce a policy of “unlimited firepower.” According to a commander from Division 252, which patrols the corridor, the line of demarcation shifts daily, dictated by a sniper’s eyesight or operational convenience. Palestinians crossing this invisible boundary are summarily executed.
“The forces in the field call it ‘the line of dead bodies,’” the commander told Haaretz. He added that corpses left uncollected attract packs of dogs, serving as a grotesque warning to Gazans: “In Gaza, people know that wherever you see these dogs, that’s where you must not go.”
Soldiers operating in the Netzarim Corridor have described incidents where unarmed civilians were gunned down with impunity. In one case, a soldier recounted firing “hundreds of bullets” at four unarmed individuals using a tank-mounted machine gun. Three of the individuals were killed on the spot, while the fourth was detained. The survivor was stripped, imprisoned in a cage, and spat on by passing soldiers. Later, a military interrogator questioned him briefly while holding a pistol to his head before releasing him. It was discovered the man had been attempting to visit relatives in northern Gaza.
Another soldier described an incident where a youth, estimated to be around 16 years old, was shot with “dozens of bullets” as he approached the corridor. Soldiers laughed and took photos of his body before taking his phone. Later, the battalion commander congratulated the soldiers for killing a “terrorist.” When one soldier suggested the boy was an unarmed civilian, he was shouted down. “Anyone crossing the line is a terrorist, no exceptions, no civilians,” the commander said.
In another reported incident, soldiers observed an adult with two children entering the banned area. Although the soldiers held their fire, a helicopter dispatched to the scene launched a missile at the group, killing all three.
According to soldiers interviewed by Haaretz, a culture of dehumanization and competition pervades the units stationed in the corridor. Casualty reports are treated as points of pride, with divisions competing to achieve the highest body counts. “The IDF spokesperson’s announcements about casualty numbers have turned this into a competition between units,” one soldier explained. “If Division 99 kills 150 [people], the next unit aims for 200.”
This militarized culture has normalized extreme violence against Palestinians, with field commanders reportedly echoing the sentiment that “there are no innocents in Gaza.” Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, the head of Division 252, was quoted as saying: “In the Middle East, what wins is conquering territory. We need to conquer territory until victory.”
Reports from the corridor describe how corpses of those killed are left uncollected, exposing them to scavenging by dogs. One commander stated: “After shootings, bodies are not collected, attracting packs of dogs who come to eat them.” This practice, which violates international humanitarian law, underscores the dehumanizing treatment of Palestinians under the military’s operational policies.
The report highlights loosened rules of engagement that allow field commanders significant latitude in authorizing airstrikes and artillery fire. Soldiers note that approvals for strikes that previously required oversight from the IDF chief of staff can now be made at the battalion level or lower. This shift has reportedly led to an increase in indiscriminate attacks, with one commander admitting the Air Force has become “less cautious” over time.
Despite these allegations, the IDF maintains that all operations follow approved protocols and target only military objectives. “All activities and operations in the Gaza Strip, including along the Netzarim Corridor, are approved by the highest levels of command, and all attacks in the area are carried out according to the mandatory procedures, including targets that are attacked at short notice due to operational circumstances,” the IDF said in response to Haaretz. The military added that “attacks are directed at military targets only, and before carrying out the attacks, many steps are taken to minimize harm to uninvolved people.”
However, soldiers who served in the corridor have disputed these claims, with one stating bluntly: “We are killing civilians, and they are being counted as terrorists.”
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