The June 27 (Haaretz} reports on the enormous number of deaths of Gazans who are killed while approaching four designated Gazan Humanitarian Fund food centers in Gaza, and indicate that this is a deliberate policy. Haaretz, in its article, quotes one soldier assigned to patrol this area: “It’s a killing field. Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They’re treated like a hostile force…. We open fire early in the morning if someone tries to get in line from a few hundred meters away, and sometimes we just charge at them from close range. But there’s no danger to the [Israeli] forces.” He added, “I’m not aware of a single instance of return fire. There’s no enemy, no weapons.” One solider summarized the situation, “You know it’s not right. You feel it’s not right—that the commanders are taking the law into their own hands.”
Some IDF soldiers and officers have identified Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, commander of the IDF’s Division 252, as giving the orders to disperse with potential lethal fire any Palestinians who are waiting for food trucks. One officer in this division told Haaretz: “This is Vach’s policy, but many of the commanders and soldiers accepted it without question. [The Palestinians] are not supposed to be there, so the idea is to make sure they clear out, even if they’re just there for food.”
The Gazan Health Ministry reports that since May 27, some 549 people have been killed near aid and food centers and in areas where residents were waiting for UN food trucks. Over 4,000 have been wounded.
