Systematic demolition of Palestinian residences by Israeli troops, aimed at establishing a buffer zone in Gaza.
Rewritten Article:
Israel's military has left a devastated landscape within half a mile from the Gaza border, with homes, factories, and farmland obliterated. Bulldozers have flattened house after house, engineers have planted explosives, and troops have torn up fertile soil, restricting Palestinians from their land.
To replace this, the Israeli military has established a one-kilometer buffer zone, forcing Palestinians out. They've killed or fired upon anyone who's dared to venture within its unmarked perimeter. Yet, this practice remains unacknowledged by the military authorities.
In interviews with CNN and testimonies to an Israeli watchdog group, ex-Israeli soldiers have revealed the military's strategies to decimate civilian infrastructure and enlarge the buffer zone. Some argue that such practices violate international law and could be classified as war crimes. CNN reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment but received no response.
When Sergeant First Class "A" arrived in the industrial district of Shujaiya neighborhood in December 2023, many warehouses and factories had already been demolished. But he and his fellow soldiers were tasked with demolishing more until there was nothing left standing. The purpose was clear: Israel was expanding the buffer zone separating Palestinians from Israeli border communities.
After an attack by Hamas in October 2023, Israel's higher-ups decided to double the buffer zone from 300 meters to approximately one kilometer. This expansion allowed for clear visibility across the buffer zone. To achieve this, territory ranging from 800 meters to 1.5 km from the border was systematically flattened.
Various soldiers reported that they were briefed on this mission to dramatically expand the buffer zone to prevent another border attack. However, international law experts are skeptical about this justification, as it may not meet the requirement for "military necessity" to destroy civilian properties.
Janina Dill, co-director at Oxford University's Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict, expressed doubts about Israel's justification, stating that the scale of destruction seems implausible to meet the military objective. Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, a public international law professor at the University of Bristol, agreed, stating there's a strong case that Israel's widespread destruction of property amounts to a war crime.
Despite Israel's acknowledgment of destroying "terrorist infrastructure" to boost security for Israeli communities, they have not publicly discussed a comprehensive plan to destroy thousands of buildings to create a kilometer-wide buffer area within Palestinian territory. However, soldiers who were interviewed by CNN and the watchdog group Breaking the Silence declared that the buffer zone policy was not a local decision but a top-down, centralized strategy.
The destruction of the buffer zone in Khuza'a, a town situated east of Khan Younis, is evident in satellite imagery. The clearing of several hundred buildings created a visible line marking the buffer zone's border. Destruction included homes, greenhouses, sheds, and factories. A Sergeant Major from the 5 infantry brigade who was deployed to Khuza'a explained, "Residential buildings, greenhouses, sheds, factories; you name it - it needs to be flat. That's the order."
To date, Israeli military forces have destroyed over 6,200 buildings within that one-kilometer buffer. Researchers estimate that all buildings within the buffer zone have been demolished or severely damaged.
For Palestinians, venturing into the buffer zone can be a lethal decision. Multiple soldiers reported rules of engagement that authorized them to fire on Palestinians without regard to whether they're armed or identified as combatants.
A Sergeant First Class in Israel's Armored Corps expressed a shoot-to-kill policy: "Adult, male - kill. Shoot to kill. For women and children, shoot to drive away." These accounts raise concerns about disregard for civilian lives and the potential violation of international law.
Abdul Aziz al-Nabahin, a Palestinian from Al-Bureij, lost his land, home, and son Mahmoud, who was collecting firewood during the ceasefire when he was struck by an Israeli tank shell. Israeli soldiers were reportedly positioned near the buffer zone throughout the ceasefire, leading to multiple cases of Palestinians being shot and killed for crossing unmarked lines.
Israel, despite the allegations, has not publicly acknowledged these issues, leaving the international community to debate the legality of its actions in Gaza.
- The expanded buffer zone, now one kilometer wide, is a source of contentions in the Middle East, with experts arguing that its dramatic enlargement could potentially violate international law.
- In the numerous interviews with CNN and testimonies to an Israeli watchdog group, ex-Israeli soldiers have disclosed that the military has been keen on deploying bulldozers to flatten buildings and farms within the perimeter of the buffer zone without acknowledgment from military authorities.
- The agreement between the Palestinian community and the Israeli military has been strained, with thousands of buildings destroyed within the buffer zone, raising concerns about the respect for civilian lives and the potential violation of international law.
