A documentary film, “Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War,” was produced in New Zealand and will be broadcast on ITV in Britain on Nov. 10. This collection of first-hand accounts from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers and soldiers who served in Gaza during the war is a powerful condemnation of Israel’s deadly goals and tactics. Some of the soldiers requested anonymity, but others chose to speak on the record. They all address clear violations of military code of conduct concerning the treatment of civilians, and breaches of international law.
IDF Capt. Yotam Vilk, an armored corps officer, said: “In basic training for the army, we all chanted ‘means, intent and ability,’” referring to IDF guidelines prohibiting shooting civilians who do not have the “means, intent, or ability” to cause harm. But Vilk said: “There’s no such thing as ‘means, intent and ability’ in Gaza. No soldier ever mentions ‘means, intent, and ability.’ It’s just: a suspicion of walking where it’s not allowed. A man aged between 20 and 40.” A commander of an IDF tank unit identified only as Daniel said: “If you want to shoot without restraint, you can.” An IDF soldier identified only as Eli said: “Life and death isn’t determined by procedures or opening fire regulations. It’s the conscience of the commander on the ground that decides. If they’re walking too fast, they’re suspicious. If they’re walking too slow, they’re suspicious. If three men are walking and one of them lags behind, it’s a two-to-one infantry formation—it’s a military formation.”
Eli describes an incident in which a senior officer ordered a tank to demolish a building which was designated as a “safe area” for civilians. Eli said, “A man was standing on the roof, hanging laundry, and the officer decided that he was a spotter. He’s not a spotter. He’s hanging his laundry. You can see that he’s hanging laundry. Now, it’s not as if this man had binoculars or weapons. The closest military force was 600-700 meters away. So unless he had eagle eyes, how could he possibly be a spotter? And the tank fired a shell. The building half collapsed. And the result was many dead and wounded.”
