By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) — Israeli officers who served along the Nitzarim axis, a corridor in central Gaza, have revealed that their army systematically shoots all Palestinians who approach the area, regardless of whether they are children or unarmed civilians, and leaves their bodies exposed to scavenging by dogs.
Based on testimonies from several Israeli commanders and soldiers, the investigation was published on Wednesday evening by the daily Haaretz, revealing ongoing acts of genocide in the Palestinian enclave for over 14 months.
Officers testified that the Israeli army established an unmarked boundary near Nitzarim with orders to shoot anyone who approaches it. "Every woman is a scout, or a man in disguise ... Anyone on a bicycle could be killed, claiming cyclists were terrorists' collaborators," the report quoted an officer as saying.
"The line appears on no map and exists in no official military order. While senior Israel Defense Forces officials might deny its existence, in the heart of the Gaza Strip, north of the Netzarim corridor, nothing is more real," the report added.
The Nitzarim corridor was established by the Israeli army at the beginning of Tel Aviv's genocidal war to prevent Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza from returning to their homes.
The corridor derives its name from a former Israeli settlement that existed in Gaza before the dismantling of settlements and the Israeli withdrawal from the Strip in 2005, following its occupation since the June 5, 1967 war.
A commander in the 252nd Armored Division revealed to Haaretz that soldiers are enforcing what they call a "line of dead bodies."
He added: "After shootings, bodies are not collected, attracting packs of dogs who come to eat them."
The Nitzarim axis spans 7 kilometers (4.35 miles) wide, extending from near the Israeli settlement of Be'eri to Gaza's coastline, occupied by the Israeli army. The entire area has been cleared of Palestinian residents, with their homes destroyed to make way for roads and Israeli military sites.
"The division commander designated this area as a 'kill zone.' Anyone who enters is shot," the commander in the 252nd Armored Division said.
According to another officer from the division who recently completed his reserve service, units, brigades, and divisions along the Nitzarim axis compete to kill the most Palestinians.
He added: “If Division 99 kills 150 (Palestinians), the next unit aims for 200.”
- The myth of morality
The investigation included numerous accounts from officers who served in the area, detailing arbitrary killings and the casual classification of Palestinians as "terrorists" after they are killed.
“Calling ourselves the world's most moral army absolves soldiers who know exactly what we're doing,” said a senior Israeli reserve commander who also recently served in the Nitzarim axis.
"It means ignoring that for over a year, we've operated in a lawless space where human life holds no value. Yes, we commanders and combatants are participating in the atrocity unfolding in Gaza," he added.
According to the report, the officers said Israeli forces operating like "independent militias, unrestricted by standard military protocols."
- 'Just a boy'
A veteran soldier from the division described their orders: "The order was clear: 'Anyone crossing the bridge into the (Netzarim) corridor gets a bullet in the head'."
He recounted one incident: "One time, guards spotted someone approaching from the south. We responded as if it was a large militant raid. We took positions and just opened fire.
"I'm talking about dozens of bullets, maybe more. For about a minute or two, we just kept shooting at the body. People around me were shooting and laughing."
When they approached the body, the soldier said they discovered that the person they had just gunned down was "just a boy, maybe 16 (years old)."
The battalion commander responded: "Anyone crossing the line is a terrorist, no exceptions, no civilians. Everyone's a terrorist."
- Horrific scenes
Another soldier described a separate incident in which a tank was deployed against a group of Palestinians who were later labelled "terrorists" despite clearly being unarmed.
The tank advanced on the group, shooting "hundreds of bullets" from its machine gun.
"The sight haunts me," said the soldier in his account in the report. Three of the Palestinians were killed in the barrage, while the survived with his hands in the air.
"We put him in a cage set up near our position, stripped off his clothes, and left him there," the soldier recounts.
"Soldiers passing by spat on him. It was disgusting. Finally, a military interrogator came, questioned him briefly while holding a gun to his head, then ordered his release."
It was later revealed that the man was trying to reach his uncles in northern Gaza. "Later, officers praised us for killing 'terrorists.' I couldn't understand what they meant," added the soldier.
Since Oct. 5, Israel has launched a large-scale ground operation in northern Gaza to allegedly prevent Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.
Since then, no sufficient humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, was allowed into the area, leaving the remaining population there on the verge of imminent famine.
The onslaught was the latest episode in a brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 45,000 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.
Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala