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Six IDF soldiers have spoken anonymously to a local outlet following their release from active duty in Gaza, describing free-for-all killings, shooting civilians just for being outside, and routinely burning homes in Gaza. The testimonies given to independent outlet 972 Magazine, which match those by Palestinian eyewitnesses and doctors, describe how Israeli soldiers are free to shoot without restrictions, executing unarmed civilians simply for setting foot in an Israeli-proclaimed ‘no-go zone.’ Bodies are routinely left to rot in the streets, moved with bulldozers before the arrival of international aid convoys, so ‘images of people in advanced stages of decay don’t come out.’ The soldiers described regularly shooting at random out of boredom. ‘I personally fired a few bullets for no reason, into the sea or at the sidewalk or an abandoned building,’ said one soldier. ‘They report it as ‘normal fire,’ which is a codename for ‘I’m bored, so I shoot’.’ ‘If there is [even] a feeling of threat, there is no need to explain — you just shoot,’ said another. ‘It’s permissible to shoot everyone, a young girl, an old woman.’ This complete lack of regulation appears to be commonplace in the Israeli army, with one source reporting an unofficial policy of ‘shoot first, ask questions later.’ ‘No one will shed a tear if we flatten a house when there was no need, or if we shoot someone who we didn’t have to,’ he said. The outlet has reached out to the IDF for comment, but has so far received no response.
