Vengeance causes Israeli hostility in Gaza

(MENAFN) Yariv Oppenheimer of the Peace Now movement described the Israeli military's actions in Gaza as part of a "very ugly picture" of ongoing violence. He was commenting on a recent New York Times report revealing that Israel's military had loosened its rules of engagement in Gaza, permitting attacks that risked significant civilian casualties. The report, based on interviews with over 100 Israeli officers, showed that after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, Israeli forces were authorized to target low-level Hamas militants even if it meant harming large numbers of civilians.

Oppenheimer, who expressed full belief in the report's accuracy, noted that the actions of the Israeli military, including a policy allowing the deaths of up to 20 or even 100 civilians for each target, were influenced by a sense of anger and humiliation within Israeli society. He explained that the revenge motive was strong, driven by the shock of the Hamas assault that killed over 1,100 Israelis and took more than 250 hostages.

Oppenheimer added that the violence in Gaza reflected a broader shift in Israeli sentiment after the Hamas attack, where soldiers and commanders felt that there were "no innocent people in Gaza" due to some Palestinian reactions to the invasion. As of the latest reports, over 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with a large percentage of the casualties being women and children.

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