Israeli soldiers admit killing civilians, critics cite systemic Gaza abuses: Report

ISLAMABAD: An investigation by Israeli newspaper Haaretz has revealed confessions from Israeli soldiers describing the killing of unarmed civilians in Gaza and what they portray as a broader pattern of normalized violence during the war.

The report, published on April 17, cites multiple testimonies from soldiers who said they returned from Gaza suffering from what they described as “moral injury,” a form of psychological distress linked to actions that violated their ethical boundaries.

Several soldiers admitted to participating in or witnessing the killing of civilians, while others described an environment in which such actions were tolerated or even encouraged.

One soldier told Haaretz he was welcomed home as a hero but internally “felt like a monster.”

Another, quoted by digital outlet AJ+ citing the Haaretz investigation, said: “There’s no forgiving what I’ve done. No atonement.”

The findings form part of a growing body of testimony suggesting systematic abuses during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The Israeli veterans’ group Breaking the Silence said it has collected hundreds of accounts from soldiers, pointing to practices such as the demolition of civilian homes and the creation of so-called “kill zones,” where anyone crossing an unmarked boundary was reportedly shot dead, regardless of whether they were armed.

UN (OCHA): Reported impact snapshot: Gaza Strip

According to Anadolu Agency, citing earlier Haaretz reporting, soldiers described the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land cutting through Gaza, as “the line of dead bodies,” where corpses were left unrecovered.

“One of these missions was to create a ‘buffer zone’ inside the Gaza Strip, which in practice meant razing the area to the ground… Through widespread, deliberate destruction, the military laid the groundwork for future Israeli control of the area,” one soldier said.

Separate reporting by Al Jazeera said Israeli forces and settlers killed at least 11 Palestinians across Gaza and the occupied West Bank in recent incidents, underscoring continuing violence on the ground.

Palestinian state news agency WAFA said Israeli media reports, while exposing some abuses, offer “only a glimpse into the extensive crimes committed by the occupation.”

The revelations come amid mounting international scrutiny of Israel’s war in Gaza, where more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 170,000 injured as of April 2026, according to the United Nations citing the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Together, the testimonies and casualty figures are intensifying criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war, raising fresh questions about accountability and the human cost of a conflict that continues to expand across the region.