Israeli reservists recount atrocities in Gaza, refuse to return to war

Three Israeli reserve soldiers who had participated in the ongoing Israeli genocidal war in Gaza have described the reasons behind their refusal to return to fight in the besieged Palestinian territory.  

The reservists told The Observer they witnessed entering homes without military justification, stealing, and then burning them down, causing more killings, shooting children, and even killing their own captives.

After witnessing the harrowing war crimes committed by the Israeli army in Gaza, one reservist said, "I can’t justify this military operation anymore."

Yuval Green is among three Israeli reservists who told the newspaper they would not return if called for military service in Gaza.

For Israeli military paramedic Green, the order to burn down a house was the tipping point that led him to end his reserve duty. “We were given an order. We were inside a house and our commander ordered us to burn it down.”

Green, who spent 50 days in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis earlier this year with his paratrooper unit, said he saw “soldiers graffitiing houses or stealing all the time."

“They would go into a house for a military reason, looking for weapons, but it was more fun to look for souvenirs – they had a thing for necklaces with Arabic writing that they collected,” Green was quoted by  the Observer as saying.

They slept in a house illuminated only by battery-powered fairy lights amid the rubble and destruction

Green also began questioning the unit’s mission months earlier when he learned about Israel's refusal to meet Palestinian resistance movement Hamas’ demands to end the war and free the captives.

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Months into Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, the regime’s military is reportedly facing a critical manpower problem, and runs short of thousands of forces.

The destructive behavior Green witnessed from other soldiers only intensified the doubts he had brought with him to Gaza.

Civics teacher Tal Vardi, who trained reserve tank operators in northern occupied territories, told the newspaper he “can’t justify this military operation anymore”.

“Any reasonable person can see that the military presence is not helping to bring the hostages back. If anything, some of these operations have endangered the hostages, and the army has also killed some by mistake,” he said, pointing to an incident last December when Israeli forces shot dead three captives in Gaza who approached them waving white flags.

“It was bound to happen,” said reservist Michael Ofer Zivv, who said the incident provoked in him a powerful sense that once he finished his service he wouldn’t return.

All three previously completed compulsory military service in the Israeli occupation forces, which is a central part of the Israeli settler communities.

Palestinian resistance targets 18 vehicles and inflicts casualties on Israeli forces

The Palestinian resistance says it has managed to destroy 18 Israeli military vehicles in an operation in Gaza, inflicting casualties on the occupation army.

These actions, according to their testimonies, have led them to renounce their service in the Israeli military.

 Israeli soldiers are openly admitting to shooting to kill and demolishing everything in their path. Amid the ongoing genocide, these atrocities are unfolding live and unabated.

Report: Israeli military suffers heavy casualties in 'unusual incident' in Gaza

Israeli media say an "unusual" incident in the Gaza Strip has led to many casualties in the regime

Earlier this month, six Israeli soldiers presented harrowing testimonies as they recounted how their fellow soldiers routinely executed Palestinian civilians to release pent-up frustration or alleviate boredom.

Israel has left extensive casualties, killing at least 39,250 Palestinians, mainly children and women. Thousands more are believed to be buried beneath the rubble. 

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