Israeli Officers Given Permission to Target Civilians in Gaza Attacks, New York Times Reports

gaza - According to a recent report by the New York Times, Israel has been applying engagement rules that ignore civilian casualties in its attacks on Gaza since October 2023.

A recent article by the American newspaper New York Times revealed that Israel has been implementing engagement rules that disregard civilian casualties in its attacks on Gaza since October 2023.

The report, based on interviews with over 100 Israeli soldiers and officials, as well as experts on armed conflict in Gaza, pointed out a disturbing trend where Israeli military relaxed its rules to allow mid-ranking officers to attack low-priority targets with a high potential for civilian casualties. Orders were given to target Hamas members not only when they were alone outside but also when they were at home with relatives and neighbors. Officers were instructed to target not only senior Hamas commanders, weapon depots, and rocket launchers, but also the lowest-ranking fighters, risking 20 civilian casualties for each target.

In attacks targeting senior figures, the potential loss of over 100 civilians was disregarded. Additionally, the Israeli military often conducted blind attacks on targets with uncertain accuracy, resulting in more Palestinian civilians being targeted. The report highlighted that the timing of attacks was often disregarded, leading to more civilian casualties. Even when the option to use smaller or more precise munitions was available, Israel opted to use 'dumb bombs' or higher-power explosives, causing more civilian deaths.

Israel's attacks on Gaza have resulted in the death of 45,361 people and the injury of 107,803 people to date, with the country facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice.

In response to the extreme right-wing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed strong condemnation. The statement denounced the raid by an Israeli minister, protected by security forces, on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, considering it a provocative act changing the historic status quo, threatening security and stability in the region. The ministry called on the international community to take necessary measures against Israeli officials' actions that could further escalate tensions in the region. Ben-Gvir conducted the raid with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the early hours of the previous day.