Quds city (JERUSALEM), July 15, SPA -- The Israeli military used reckless force during the fighting in Gaza earlier this year, resulting in needless deaths and damage, a group of former Israeli soldiers charged in a report Wednesday. In testimonies collected by Breaking the Silence, an organization of Israeli army reservists, 26 soldiers who participated in the three weeks of Gaza fighting describe demolishing homes and using firepower beyond what was necessary given the relatively light resistance they encountered. None of the soldiers was identified and no dates or locations were provided for the events they recount. In one of the new testimonies, a soldier said his unit used Palestinian civilians as human shields _ a practice outlawed by Israel's Supreme Court _ forcing them to enter buildings suspected of housing militants and to break down walls using sledgehammers. «Sometimes the force would enter while placing rifle barrels on a civilian's shoulder, advancing into a house and using him as a human shield. Commanders said these were the instructions and we had to do it,» the soldier was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. Another said the regulations on when to shoot were vague. «My impression about rules of engagement was that, at least at our level, they were not clear. There were no clear red lines,» he said. More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza fighting, thousands of homes were destroyed and Gaza's infrastructure suffered heavy damage, according to Gaza health officials and human rights groups. Israel puts the death toll closer to 1,100 and says most were armed fighters. Thirteen Israelis also were killed, including three civilians who died from rocket fire. The U.N. has also launched a probe into Israel's actions during the offensive.
