In a shocking revelation that has sparked international outrage, Israeli soldiers have alleged that they were ordered by their commanders to open fire on unarmed Palestinian civilians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza. The claims, published in a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz, detail brutal tactics used against people waiting for food and medical supplies.
According to the report, multiple Israeli soldiers testified that they were deployed around aid distribution points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and were instructed to use live ammunition to manage crowds — including women, children, and the elderly — who posed no threat.
“We fired machine guns from tanks and threw grenades,” one soldier said, recounting an early morning operation where civilians were caught in the fire while approaching aid centres under the cover of mist.
“It’s a killing field,” another soldier revealed, describing how between one and five civilians were killed daily in the area he was stationed.
The Haaretz investigation, co-authored by journalist Nir Hasson, points to a systematic use of deadly force under the guise of crowd control. “It wasn’t random. It was a mechanism to manage civilian movement using live fire,” Hasson said in an interview with Al Jazeera. He added that while the direct chain of command remains unclear, orders likely came from a senior military officer stationed in Gaza.
The Gaza Government Media Office has reported that at least 549 Palestinians have been killed and over 4,066 injured at GHF locations since late May. The GHF, controversially supported by the Israeli and U.S. governments but operating independently of the United Nations, has faced strong criticism for failing to uphold neutral humanitarian standards.
International medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemned the foundation’s approach, calling it “a slaughter masquerading as aid.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres also denounced the situation, stating, “This is not a humanitarian operation. It is a mechanism that is killing people, not feeding them.”
In response to the mounting allegations, the Israeli military denied any wrongdoing, stating, “The assertions of intentional fire at civilians are not accepted in the field.” Nevertheless, the Military Advocate General has ordered an internal investigation via its Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism to determine whether the reported actions amount to war crimes.
So far, no specific military personnel or officers have been named, but officials have acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and confirmed that the incidents fall under military jurisdiction.
This report adds to the growing list of human rights concerns in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict and blockade. With global agencies now turning their attention to the role of aid distribution as a method of control, calls for international accountability are growing louder.
