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Israeli soldiers have begun in recent weeks to set fire to homes in the Gaza Strip, following direct orders from their commanders, without the necessary legal permission to do so, according to information obtained by Haaretz.

Soldiers have destroyed several hundred buildings using this method over the past month. After the structure is set on fire along with everything inside it, it is allowed to burn out until it is rendered useless.

When asked about the new practice, an Israeli army commander told Haaretz that structures are selected for burning based on intel. When asked about a building that was set ablaze not far from where the interview took place, the commander said: “There must have been information about the landlord, or maybe something was found there. I don’t know exactly why that house was set on fire.”

Three officers spearheading Gaza fighting confirmed to Haaretz that setting homes on fire has become common practice. A commander of one battalion told his troops last week, as they were wrapping up operations in a specific Gaza area: “Clear your things from the house, and prep it for incineration.”

    • Womble@lemmy.worldEnglish
      35·
      10 months ago

      Its fine you guys: the Israelis have decided its legal for Israelis to burn down Palestinian houses that a Hamas fighter once stopped beside to tie his shoelaces.

    • ralphio@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      10 months ago

      Yeah basically admitting it’s state sanctioned. Should save the South African lawyers some paperwork.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldEnglish
      39·
      10 months ago

      Haaretz is an israeli newspaper and the IDF commander is admitting it personally. How much source are you going to ask for?

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        10 months ago

        In fact, if memory serves, Haaretz is the biggest newspaper in Israel other than tabloids and the de facto state media rag Times of Israel and as such one of if not THE most reliable source from inside of Israel.

          • Silverseren@kbin.socialOP
            5·
            10 months ago

            Did you miss how the Israeli government has been actively trying to censor Haaretz since they started doing proper journalism on what’s going on in Gaza? There was even a political attempt to get them shut down.

          • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            10 months ago

            I think I know what you mean and you’re partly right: Haaretz is still an Israeli paper and as such has a pro-Israel bias.

            It’s also a left-leaning paper, though, so it’s against genocide and bigotry and extremely critical and always has been of the fascist Netanyahu government and the apartheid system they’ve created.

            Times of Israel is analogous to the NY Compost, Haaretz is closer to something like The Intercept.

              • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.worldEnglish
                1·
                10 months ago

                that they sometimes cry thief where there is murder and murder where there is massacre

                They don’t. You’re confusing them with the likes of ToI and Jerusalem Post.

                for them to be a problem for that political system they have to pass a certain threshold of power and they don’t do that

                Yeah they do. For all the undemocratic shit, Israel still has a certain degree of press freedom.

                Haaretz are a constant thorn in the side of the government and the government constantly complain about them, but they couldn’t significantly censor them, let alone shut them down, without sparking widespread riots in the streets.