For my whole life I've been subject to propaganda about how good are Israeli troops. But good against their Arab neighbors and good when compared to Western troops are two different matters. And a couple incidents from the past few days have made me question the quality of Israeli troops and their commanders.
And no, this doesn't have to do with Israeli having hindered their own advance by shelling the crap out of Gaza so now they have difficulty moving armor into the areas where they are needed.
No, I'm talking of Israel troops lacking discipline and adopting a "shoot first" and think later attitude. But I guess it saves time if you cut out the first two steps in the OODA loop.
The first incident involved three Israeli prisoners apparently released as part of a bargain between Hamas and Israel--or perhaps they escaped, we may never know. Anyway, the three Israeli men took care that they wouldn't not be shot by Israeli soldiers: they removed their shirts so there was no question of whether they were wearing a bomb vest or had concealed weapons. They fashioned a white flag and tied it to a stick and made sure to present the flag as they went to meet IDF troops. Information is very limited, but I would not be surprised if they also presented themselves with hands raised. And while two of the men might have been mistaken for being Palestinian, the third had very pale skin and red hair--quite definitely not Middle-Eastern.
Nonetheless, an IDF soldier yelled "terrorist" at what were obviously not terrorists, and his unit opened fire killing two immediately and injuring the third. The third one dived into a doorway and started calling for help in Hebrew. An officer ordered that the soldiers cease fire. Nevertheless, apparently disobeying these orders, the unit opened fire again and killed the third man. The New York Post reports that next:
During an “inspection” of the area after the shooting, a “suspicion arose regarding the identity of the dead,” according to IDF.
“The bodies were taken for examination in Israeli territory, after which it turned out that they were three Israeli abductees,” the force said in a tweet.
They were taken to a “deer center” in a Shura camp in Israel, where they were identified.
The IDF mendaciously attributes the shooting to the three being mistaken for a threat in the heat of battle. Despite the use of the term "deer center" obviously signaling that they view this like a mass hunt rather than a combat operation.
The next day, Jewish troops murdered a Christian woman and her daughter sheltering in a Catholic church. The Daily Mail reports on that incident:
Nahida and her daughter, Samar, were shot 'in cold blood' by a sniper as they walked to the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, the patriarch said in a statement, adding that the holy site had been struck three times by projectiles fired by an Israeli tank.
'One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,' the statement continued, adding that seven others were wounded by gunfire as they tried to protect others.
Sources:
- "IDF says it accidentally killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza after mistaking them for Hamas terrorists"--New York Post.
- "Slain Israeli hostages were holding up white flag, stripped to the waist: IDF"--New York Post.
- "Shooting of 3 hostages was 'against the rules of engagement': IDF head"--ABC News.
- "Israeli hostages shot dead were 'holding white flag,' IDF says"--DW.
- "Israel's Defence Forces 'shot dead a Christian mother and daughter as they sheltered at a Catholic Church in Gaza' just one day after mistakenly gunning down three hostages"--Daily Mail.
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