Israel ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over the allegations by some soldiers that it revealed on Friday, the daily said.
At least 549 Palestinians have been killed and 4,066 injured while waiting for food aid distributed at sites run by the Israeli-and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the Gaza Government Media Office said on Thursday. The GHF has been a source of widespread criticism since its establishment in May.
According to the Haaretz report, which quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers, troops were told to fire at the crowds of Palestinians and use unnecessary lethal force against people who appeared to pose no threat.
“We fired machineguns from tanks and threw grenades,” one soldier told Haaretz, adding, “There was one incident where a group of civilians was hit while advancing under the cover of fog.”
In another instance, a soldier said that where they were stationed in Gaza, between “one and five people were killed every day”.
“It’s a killing field,” that soldier stated.
The Israeli army “strongly rejected” the accusations in the report, according to a military statement published on Telegram.
“Any allegation of a deviation from the law or [military] directives will be thoroughly examined, and further action will be taken as necessary. The allegations of deliberate fire toward civilians presented in the article are not recognized in the field,” it added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz condemned the report, calling it “blood libel” on the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), according to a statement carried by The Times of Israel news outlet.
“The IDF operates under difficult conditions against a terrorist enemy that operates from within the civilian population,” they said, adding, “IDF soldiers receive clear orders to avoid harming innocent civilians, and they act accordingly.”
According to Haaretz, the Military Advocate General has told the army’s General Staff’s Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism, which reviews incidents involving potential violations of the laws of war, to investigate suspected war crimes at these aid sites.
“War crimes” are taking place at GHF aid distribution sites in Gaza, the enclave’s Government Media Office said in a statement, referencing “the shocking confessions” published by Haaretz.
“The report’s direct military orders to fire on unarmed civilians who pose no threat, and the use of heavy machine guns, artillery, and shells against peaceful gatherings waiting for food, are further evidence that the Israeli occupation army is pursuing a systematic policy of genocide under the false guise of ‘relief’,” the statement added.
The GHF operates four sites in Gaza – one in the centre and three in the south – and attacks on aid seekers have only increased since an Israeli blockade was lifted and the Foundation started distributing food at the end of May.
The GHF has come under intense condemnation by aid groups, including the United Nations, for its “weaponisation” of vital items.
“We don’t need a report of that nature to acknowledge that there have been massive violations of international law [in Gaza],” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in response to a question from Al Jazeera about the Haaretz report.
“And when there is a violation of international law, there must be accountability,” he added at a press conference in New York.
Elsewhere on Friday, medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials, MSF, called the GHF’s aid distribution sites “slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid”.
Since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, at least 56,331 people have been killed, with 132,632 wounded in Israeli attacks, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported.
