In late 2024, soldiers at the IDF’s command center along Gaza’s Netzarim corridor witnessed two unarmed Palestinians approaching, waving a white flag.
According to soldiers who spoke to Haaretz, the officer, then deputy battalion commander, ordered: “I don’t know what a white flag is. Shoot to kill.”
Another officer intervened and countermanded the order, refusing to fire. He was later reprimanded and called “a coward” by his superiors.
The officer who gave the illegal order has now been promoted to command an infantry battalion operating in Gaza.
➤ Soldiers described a climate of impunity: those who resisted unlawful orders faced punishment, while those who gave them were rewarded.
➤ One soldier wrote in Haaretz: “Those who want to kill Arabs, because they are Arabs, will kill Arabs. No one will ask them questions, and no one will investigate or punish them.”
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Soldiers accused an IDF officer of ordering troops to shoot two Gazans waving a white flag – an order another commander rejected as illegal ...