The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are facing unprecedented accountability. This comes on the heels of the Golani Brigade’s responsibility for the shooting deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers mid-March 23 in Rafah, Gaza. This incident has raised significant questions about the conduct of Israeli military operations and the treatment of emergency responders in conflict zones.
Golani is one of the five infantry brigades in the Israeli army. It has even been accused of several potential war crime violations, including shooting civilians and desecrating corpses. The recent events have sparked a renewed debate over the operational ethics and engagement rules of the heavily decorated brigade’s operations in Gaza.
On the day of the incident, Golani troops without warning shot at two visibly marked ambulances. These ambulances were included in a convoy responding to emergencies in the area. Eyewitness accounts and subsequent footage contradicted the Israeli military’s assertion that the ambulances were not properly marked or using headlights and flashing lights during the attack.
The aftermath of the shooting was grim. Israeli Golani soldiers reportedly dug a mass grave to cover the bodies of those they killed. They allowed the wreckage to go unrecovered until a United Nations investigation team arrived six days later. This delay has sparked outcry from all sides and exacerbated fears about how casualties are treated in military operations.
Israeli military officials initially defended their actions. Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, head of the Israeli army, has since ordered a second investigation into the incident. Yet comments from the armed forces have escalated the uproar over Golani’s reputation.
Brig Gen Yehuda Vach has made alarming statements regarding the perception of individuals in Gaza, claiming that “there are no innocents in Gaza.” Additionally, a battalion commander reportedly stated, “Anyone you encounter there is an enemy. You identify anyone, you eliminate him.” Such rhetoric has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights groups and others who warn that it serves to dehumanize the civilian population.
One of the soldiers from Golani’s 51st Battalion wrote this song that’s turning into an unofficial anthem for the soldiers. This is creating a double layer of complexity to this precarious situation. The lyrics include threatening sentiments toward Gaza, with one line stating, “For what you did to the nation of Israel, Golani is coming with gasoline … Gaza will burn.” This powerful song speaks to a toxic culture that exists in some military units that lead to more aggressive engagement policies during war.
Besides these cases, Golani troops carried out offensives in the period of the Rafah assault. They fought as part of the command of the reservist Armoured 14th Brigade. This makes accountability particularly difficult as military units conduct operations under different command structures based on the nature of the operation.
Recent violence has renewed demands for accountability within the IDF. Folks are specifically outraged by the way that soldiers are trained and commanded to engage with civilian populations in combat situations. Human rights defenders have claimed that these examples are representative of systemic problems within military practices, which require immediate reformation.