In each incident shown in that Al Jazeera report, the Palestinians shot dead by Israeli soldiers appear to be unarmed and are at a distance from the soldiers. According to a new investigative article by Israeli news outlets +972 Magazine and Local Call, these executions are consistent with the testimonies of six Israeli soldiers following their release from active duty in Gaza in recent months. The six soldiers describe being authorized to open fire on Palestinians virtually at will. The sources describe the near-total absence of firing regulations in Gaza, with Israeli troops shooting as they please, setting homes ablaze, leaving corpses on the streets, all with their commanders’ permission. The article is headlined “’I’m bored, so I shoot’: The Israeli army’s approval of free-for-all violence in Gaza.”
We’re joined now by the journalist who broke the story. Oren Ziv is a reporter and photographer for +972 Magazine. He’s joining us from outside Venice, Italy.
Oren, welcome to Democracy Now! “I’m bored, so I shoot.” First, talk about that Al Jazeera footage that we’re seeing, the footage that was taken on the coastal road in Gaza, and then that quote.
OREN ZIV: Thank you so much for having me.
So, first of all, the footage we’ve just seen from Al Jazeera is aligned with many testimonies we have been hearing from Palestinians over the last months that they are not be able — they’re not — they’re prevented from going back north, Palestinians that had to run away or to flee to the southern part of Gaza, as the Israeli army ordered. And this footage is aligned also what we are hearing during our investigation from the six soldiers. Basically, they’re saying they had a complete — almost a complete freedom to open fire.
— source democracynow.org | Jul 12, 2024