TEL AVIV: Seven soldiers who have refused to continue fighting in Gaza have told the US media how the Palestinian civilians were killed indiscriminately and their houses were destroyed.
Ishai Menuchin, spokesperson for Yesh Gvul, a movement for soldiers refusing to continue to fight, said he works with more than 80 soldiers who have declined to fight and that there are hundreds more who feel similarly but are silent.
The health ministry in Gaza said on Tuesday that 61 people were killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall war death toll to 46,645.
The ministry said at least 110,012 people have been wounded in more than 15 months of Israeli bombardment campaign since October 7, 2023.
Yotam Vilk, an officer in the armoured corps, stated that the orders were to shoot anyone who entered an Israeli-controlled buffer zone in Gaza without authorisation. He witnessed the deaths of at least 12 individuals, but it is the shooting of a teenager that continues to haunt him.
“He died as part of a bigger story. As part of the policy of staying there and not seeing Palestinians as people,” Vilk, 28, told The Associated Press.
Vilk is among a growing number of Israeli soldiers speaking against the 15 months of war and refusing to serve anymore.
Their refusal comes amid growing pressure on both Israel and Hamas to de-escalate the conflict. Ceasefire negotiations are underway, with both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump urging for a deal to be reached before the January 20 inauguration.
Palestinian group Hamas on Tuesday accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, officials involved in the ongoing talks said. The agreement is set to be implemented in three phases, the first of which would last 42 days.
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Seven soldiers who refused to continue fighting in Gaza said they were being ordered to burn or demolish houses that posed no threat, and they witnessed soldiers looting and vandalising properties.
International human rights organisations have accused Israel of committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza. The International Court of Justice is examining genocide claims filed by South Africa, while the International Criminal Court is seeking the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Israel firmly denies the genocide allegations, however, human rights groups have long criticised the military for inadequately investigating its own actions.