The war last summer between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead and vast areas reduced to rubble. On Monday a group of Israeli veterans released sobering testimony from soldiers that suggests permissive rules of engagement coupled with indiscriminate artillery fire contributed to the mass destruction and high numbers of civilian casualties in the coastal enclave. The organization of active and reserve duty soldiers, called Breaking the Silence, gathered testimonies from more than 60 enlisted men and officers who served in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge.
The soldiers describe reducing Gaza neighborhoods to sand, firing artillery at random houses to avenge fallen comrades, shooting at innocent civilians because they were bored and watching armed drones attack a pair of women talking on cellular phones because they were assumed to be Hamas scouts. The 240-page report "This is How We Fought in Gaza 2014" was released Monday and accompanied by videotaped testimony.
Washington Post
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More From Star Tribune
More From World
Sports
Paris main airport unveils new baggage handling system ahead of the 2024 Olympics
Officials at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Tuesday unveiled a new security baggage system and a dedicated baggage handling area ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
World
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who had an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and left her bedridden for several years died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Business
The head of Mexico's detective service says his country is the 'champion' of fentanyl production
The head of Mexico's detective service acknowledged Tuesday that the country is ''the champion'' of fentanyl production, contradicting President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
World
Martian skies over Athens? Greece's capital turns an orange hue with dust clouds from North Africa
Skies over southern Greece turned an orange hue on Tuesday as dust clouds blown across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa engulfed the Acropolis and other Athens landmarks.
World
Abortion returns to the spotlight in Italy, 46 years after it was legalized
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's far-right-led government scored a victory Tuesday with the Senate approving a law allowing anti-abortion groups access to women considering ending their pregnancies. The development revives tensions around the issue of abortion in Italy, 46 years after it was legalized in the overwhelmingly Catholic country.