Key facts
- An Israeli reservist told Haaretz that army officers viewed Gaza's two million Palestinians as targets.
- The soldier described a lack of rules of engagement and widespread killings.
- He witnessed an attack on ambulances in Rafah in March 2025 that killed 15 medical workers.
- The reservist stated that soldiers were pressured to fire on Palestinians approaching a shifting military boundary.
- He reported observing army-backed militias committing arson and looting without intervention.
An Israeli reservist has detailed alleged war crimes committed by Israeli forces in Gaza, stating that army officers treated the entire Palestinian population of two million as targets and that rules of engagement had collapsed. The soldier, who spoke to Haaretz on condition of anonymity, described widespread killings and a lack of accountability.
He recounted witnessing an attack on clearly marked ambulances in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in March 2025, which resulted in the deaths of 15 Palestinian aid and medical workers. The reservist described how ground troops allegedly stormed the convoy, shot at the first vehicle, and then killed the medical staff who exited and pleaded for their lives. He stated that after this incident, he realized "anyone could kill whoever they wanted, as much as they wanted, and they wouldn't be held accountable for it."
Despite these events, the reservist continued his service in Gaza. Upon returning from leave in late April, he reported that the prevailing sentiment was about killing. When he inquired about uploading targets, an intelligence officer told him, "You have two million targets in Gaza," which the reservist understood to mean the entire population.
The soldier also described how senior commanders manipulated the "Yellow Line," a ceasefire demarcation, pushing it westward and encouraging soldiers to fire on any Palestinians approaching the new boundary without sufficient intelligence or proof. He noted that the concept of "collateral damage" had disappeared, with soldiers being encouraged to shoot "anyone they see" in an atmosphere he compared to a football stadium.
Furthermore, the reservist claimed to have witnessed Israeli forces monitoring, but not intervening in, criminal acts such as arson and looting carried out by army-backed militias. Haaretz previously reported that the Israeli army was allegedly allowing mercenaries and criminal gangs to commit war crimes in Gaza.