A group of former former Israeli soldiers has spoken out against the IDF, claiming its practices included indiscriminate firing against civilians, firing on ambulances and unnecessary razing of homes.
The claims were made in a report called "This is how we fought in Gaza" based on testimonies from soldiers and officers allegedly involved in the "Protective Edge" operation last year.
The report was compiled by a NGO group called "Breaking the Silence".
In one, a man whose voice and face were obscured, claimed to have served in the Israeli Armoured Corps during Operation Protective Edge who said he was instructed to shoot indiscriminately, describing the army he served as "morally rotten".
“[I was] doing things I was raised not to do,” he said in the video. “Not to kill the innocent, not to shoot at ambulance. It's like the Wild West out there and it's all approved by the commanders.”
The Israel Defence Forces said it requested the group provided evidence or testimony prior to publication so a genuine investigation could be carried out.
In a statement it questioned the legitimacy of the report.
"The IDF is committed to properly investigating all credible claims raised via media (and) NGOs," it said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, as in the past, Breaking the Silence has refused to provide the IDF with any proof of their claims."
The United Nations said about 1400 of the 2,100 Palestinians killed in the 7-week conflict were civilians and 1,9000 homes were destroyed in Gaza.
Sixty-seven Israeli soldiers and six civilians were killed, with Hamas firing more than 3,300 rockets into civilian areas inside Israel.
Share
