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BREAKING: “Nothing left to destroy”: Israeli soldiers speak as Israel moves to add Rafah — one-fifth of Gaza — to buffer zone which is also a “Kill Zone”.
Israel is preparing to include Rafah and its surrounding neighborhoods—nearly one-fifth of the Gaza Strip—into a military buffer zone. Residents will not be allowed to return, and the army is considering demolishing all remaining buildings.
The area, stretching between the Philadelphi and Morag routes, once housed around 200,000 Palestinians. It has been largely emptied following intense Israeli bombardment. After a recent cease-fire ended, the army ordered remaining civilians to evacuate to designated humanitarian zones near Khan Yunis and the Muwasi coastline.
Until now, major cities like Rafah had been excluded from the buffer zone. But according to defense officials, the decision to include Rafah came after Israel resumed its military campaign in February. This shift follows Prime Minister Netanyahu’s vow to “seize large areas of Gaza.”
Soldiers who previously served in other parts of the buffer zone have raised concerns. “We’re being sent to destroy what’s already destroyed,” said one reservist, warning of risks to troops, civilians, and hostages.
Israeli reservists have described the army’s renewed activity in Gaza’s buffer zone as pointless and repetitive, with soldiers being redeployed to areas that have already been devastated.
“There’s nothing left to destroy in the buffer zone,” said a commander who served over 240 days in Gaza. “The entire area is unfit for human habitation. There’s no need to send so many soldiers into these places.”
Another reservist added, “I can’t believe that after a year and a half, we’re back to square one. We’re being sent to destroy what’s already been destroyed — without knowing how long it’ll take, what the goal is, or what success even means.”
Soldiers described a color-coded system used by the military to track destruction: green areas meant over 80% of structures — homes, greenhouses, factories — had been demolished. One soldier admitted the destruction turned into a competition: “It was a great source of pride to show your area was greener.”
Rules of engagement were vague and deadly. “There was no clear regulation,” said a tank officer. “Any movement was suspicious — we’d find something ‘relevant’ and shoot at it. Civilian or terrorist infrastructure — no one cared.”
In one case, he recalled hungry Palestinians approaching troops “They came with sacks, probably to pick mallow. But if someone had a sack, he was labeled a terrorist — and shot.”
He concluded, “At this point, the IDF is carrying out the public’s will — the will that says, ‘There are no innocents in Gaza, and we’ll show them.’”
Source: Haaretz.
Mike
