A Haaretz newspaper investigation published yesterday accuses the Israeli military of firing indiscriminately at Palestinian civilians in the Nejarim Corridor, the military-created dead zone that cuts off the northern sector of the Palestinian enclave from the rest of the Gaza Strip.

This disputed zone, seven kilometers wide, stretches between Israel and the Mediterranean.

The left-wing Israeli newspaper, highly critical of Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, cites in its investigation anonymous testimonies from several Israeli soldiers who served in the Netzarim corridor.

“The orders were clear: anyone crossing the bridge to enter the corridor takes a bullet to the head“, an Israeli soldier told Haaretz.

Another soldier refers to the announcement of his superiors about the extermination of 200 armed members of the Hamas organization, when it was only about 10.

Testimony suggests that military personnel in the field have exceptional discretion in their decision-making.

The Israeli army rejects these accounts as well and responded today that it only fires at “military targets”.

“The Israeli army only attacks military targets and acts with precision,” the Israeli army said in a statement to AFP. “A number of measures are taken before the strikes to limit the risk of civilian casualties,” the statement added. “All operations in the Gaza Strip, including the Nejarim Strip, follow engagement procedures and orders approved by the military hierarchy.”

The organization Hamas he also reacted to Haaretz’s investigation.

The testimonies of the Israeli soldiers are “additional evidence of war crimes and ethnic cleansing operations which are carried out in a coordinated manner”, Hamas states in a statement calling on the United Nations and the International Court of Justice in The Hague “to investigate these testimonies and take the necessary measures to end the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip”.