JERUSALEM (AP) — Yotam Vilk says the image of Israeli soldiers killing an unarmed Palestinian teenager in the Gaza Strip is etched in his mind.
An armored corps officer, Vilk said the instructions were to shoot anyone unauthorized entering an Israeli-controlled buffer zone in Gaza. He’s seen at least 12 people killed, he said, but it’s the teen’s shooting that he can’t shake.
“He died as part of a larger story. As part of the policy of staying there and not considering the Palestinians as a people,” Vilk, 28, told the Associated Press.
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Vilk is one of a growing number of Israeli soldiers who are speaking out against the 15-month conflict and refusing to serve any further, saying they saw or did things that crossed ethical boundaries. Although the movement is small – some 200 soldiers signed a letter saying they would stop fighting if the government does not achieve a ceasefire – soldiers say it is just the tip of the iceberg and that they want others to come forward.
Their refusal comes at a time when pressure is increasing on Israel and Hamas to end the fighting. Ceasefire talks are underway and President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have called for a deal by the Jan. 20 inauguration.
Seven soldiers who refused to continue fighting in Gaza spoke to AP, describing how Palestinians were killed indiscriminately and homes destroyed. Several reported being ordered to burn or demolish homes that posed no threat, and seeing soldiers looting and vandalizing residences.
Soldiers are expected to stay away from politics and rarely speak out against the military. After Hamas entered Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel quickly united behind the war against the militant group. Divisions have deepened as the war has progressed, but most criticism has focused on the growing number of soldiers killed and the failure to repatriate hostages, not the actions in Gaza.
International rights groups have accused Israel of war crimes and genocide in Gaza. The International Court of Justice is investigating allegations of genocide filed by South Africa. The International Criminal Court calls for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Israel categorically rejects allegations of genocide and says it is taking extraordinary measures to minimize harm to civilians in Gaza. The military says it never intentionally targets civilians, and that it investigates and punishes cases of suspected wrongdoing. But human rights groups have long said the military does a poor job investigating itself.
The military told the AP it condemns refusal to serve and takes any calls for refusal seriously, with each case reviewed individually. Soldiers can go to prison if they refuse to serve, but none of the letter’s signatories have been arrested, according to those who organized the signatures.
Reactions of soldiers in Gaza
When Vilk entered Gaza in November 2023, he said, he believed the initial use of force could bring both sides to the table. But as the war dragged on, he said he saw the value of human life disintegrate.
On the day the Palestinian teenager was killed last August, he said, Israeli troops shouted at him to stop and fired warning shots at his feet, but he kept moving. He added that other people were also killed while walking in the buffer zone – the Netzarim Corridor, a road separating northern and southern Gaza.
Vilk acknowledged it was difficult to determine whether people were armed, but said he thought soldiers acted too quickly.
Ultimately, he said, Hamas is responsible for some deaths in the buffer zone — he described a Palestinian detained by his unit who said Hamas paid people $25 to enter. in the corridor to assess the army’s reaction.
Some soldiers told AP it took them time to digest what they saw in Gaza. Others said they became so furious that they decided to stop serving almost immediately.
Yuval Green, a 27-year-old doctor, described abandoning his post last January after spending nearly two months in Gaza, unable to cope with what he had seen.
He said soldiers desecrated homes, using black markers intended for medical emergencies to scribble graffiti, and looted homes, looking for rosaries to collect as souvenirs.
The final straw, he said, was his commander ordering his troops to burn down a house, saying he didn’t want Hamas to be able to use it. Green said he was sitting in a military vehicle, choking on fumes amid the smell of burning plastic. He found the fire vindictive – he said he saw no reason to take from the Palestinians more than they had already lost. He left his unit before the end of their mission.
Green said that while he hated what he witnessed, “the cruelty was at least partly caused by the devastation caused by Hamas on October 7, which people can forget.”
He said he wanted his actions in refusing to serve to help break the vicious cycle of violence on all sides.
The refusal of the military as a sign of protest
Soldiers for Hostages — the group behind the letter signed by the troops — is trying to gain momentum, holding an event this month in Tel Aviv and gathering more signatures. A panel of soldiers spoke about what they had seen in Gaza. Organizers handed out poster-sized stickers with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “Everyone has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. »
Max Kresch, an organizer, said soldiers can use their position to create change. “We must use our voice to speak out against injustice, even if it is unpopular,” he said.
But some who have fought and lost colleagues call the move a slap in the face. More than 830 Israeli soldiers have been killed during the war, according to the army.
“They are harming our ability to defend ourselves,” said Gilad Segal, a 42-year-old paratrooper who spent two months in Gaza in late 2023. He said everything the army was doing was necessary, including destroying the houses used as Hamas hideouts. It is not up to the soldier to agree or disagree with the government, he argued.
Ishai Menuchin, a spokesman for Yesh Gvul, a movement of soldiers refusing to serve, said he works with more than 80 soldiers who have refused to fight and that there are hundreds more who feel the pain. same thing but keep silent.
Effects on soldiers
Some of the soldiers who spoke to AP said they felt conflicted and regretful, and were talking to friends and relatives about what they saw to make sense of it.
Many soldiers suffer “moral wounds,” said Tuly Flint, a trauma specialist who has counseled hundreds of them during the war. It’s a reaction when people see or do something that goes against their beliefs, he said, and it can lead to lack of sleep, flashbacks and feelings of unworthiness. . Talking about it and trying to spark change can help, Flint said.
A former infantryman told AP of his feelings of guilt: He said he saw about 15 buildings burned unnecessarily during a two-week stay in late 2023. He said if he had could have started all over again, he would not have fought. .
“I did not light the match, but I stood guard in front of the house. I participated in war crimes,” the soldier said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “I’m really sorry for what we did.”
