Why the IDF Chief of Staff Cannot Stop the Killing of Gazans Seeking Food

On February 5, 1994, Bosnian Serb forces laying siege to the city of Sarajevo fired shells that struck a crowded marketplace, killing 68 civilians and injuring around 200. The world was shocked by the scenes of the dead and the wounded who had lost limbs. The United States used the outrage over the massacre to persuade NATO to launch airstrikes against the Bosnian Serb forces and their Serbian supporters.

Since the American and Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) established its food distribution centres in the Gaza Strip about two months ago, more than 1,300 hungry Gazans have been shot to death while on their way to receive food packages at the centres or near aid trucks, according to UN data. Unlike the war in Bosnia, the world is not exerting real pressure on Israel to stop the killings – instead, it is mostly waiting for President Trump to speak out.

The IDF claims that the reported death toll is exaggerated and that the shootings constitute justified "warning fire," which has also included shelling (as in the deadly strike on the "Holy Family" Church in Gaza City, which the IDF claimed was caused by a stray shell). However, in light of the scale of the casualties and the near-daily killings, global accusations are mounting that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is a war criminal, and that the food distribution centers were deliberately designed as "death traps" meant to lure hungry people and then kill them.

Israel may attempt to dismiss these accusations as conspiratorial or antisemitic, yet it is simultaneously struggling to reassure even its most loyal allies around the world – many of whom are tearing their hair out, unable to comprehend the rationale behind the daily killings. For them, even if Zamir did not set out to create “death traps,” he is, in effect, doing nothing to prevent them.

For example, in a joint statement on July 21 by 28 Western democratic countries, including Israel’s close allies, it was written: "It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid."

British foreign secretary David Lammy said in parliament on July 21, "Almost 1,000 civilians have been killed since May seeking aid, including 100 over this weekend alone. There are near daily reports of Israeli troops opening fire on people trying to access food." The next day, in an interview with the BBC, he added that he is "sickened" by the killing of Palestinians by IDF forces near aid distribution centres.

Italian president Sergio Mattarella told journalists on July 30: "In such an endless chain, it is hard to see mistakes repeated over and over without realizing there is a stubbornness to kill indiscriminately. Could it be a mistake to target and harm children dying of thirst while waiting in line to get some water? Could it be a mistake to shoot at ambulances, doctors, medics, and innocent, unarmed civilians starving to death who risk their lives every day for a handful of flour?"

Zamir, who joined the Armored Corps in 1984, understands that artillery shells are not precision weapons but rather statistical in nature. While these shells are relatively inexpensive and plentiful in the IDF’s stockpile, firing them near or within dense population carries an inherent risk of causing a massacre.

Additionally, an IDF officer explained to Haaretz that as part of the “warning fire” policy, live rounds are used to direct the movement of hungry Gazan crowds. The Wall Street Journal has uncovered similar testimonies from soldiers. This practice not only sounds surreal but, as mentioned, has deadly consequences.

If Zamir wanted to, he could have prevented the killings. While Zamir is not expected to command small units on the ground, he can shape their behaviour by setting rules of engagement and safety guidelines for the use of different types of ammunition. Still, Zamir has failed to control the situation for about two months. In Israel’s current political climate, Zamir may fear that if he changes the rules of engagement and safety guidelines, the “poison machine” operated by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his associates on social media will turn its “artillery” against him, accusing him of abandoning his troops and prioritising the lives of Gazans.

Zamir knows that the chances of a criminal investigation opening in Israel and someone being prosecuted for the killing of hungry Gazans as a result of the “warning fire” policy and shelling are about as likely as NATO launching military strikes inside Israel to stop the war in Gaza. However, Zamir must remember that there is no guarantee the political reality in Israel and the world will remain as it is now. It is not unlikely that in the future criminal proceedings will be conducted abroad against Zamir.

Whatever the reason behind Zamir’s conduct, the killing of hungry Gazans coming to receive food is horrifying and must stop.

This article first appeared on the Hebrew media platform The Seventh Eye. 

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