Shooting and Crying- IDF soldiers talk about their actions in Gaza

I just can't stop thinking of different "Gaza" notes to write on this blog. At the risk of sounding whiny, or like a broken record, it's not at all about me. It's about honoring what happened to thousands of people while we all stood by and watched. Once an issue is out of the news, we so easily forget about it. Gazans are still lying in hospitals, wounded from these attacks. They are still picking pieces of their lives out from the rubble that used to be their family home. They just finished burying their loved ones. They just recently received aid. These attacks ruined their lives- forever.

Last Wednesday, the transcripts of a discussion among many IDF soldiers about their time spent in the recent Gaza attacks. It's nothing that the Palestinians in Gaza, or the UN workers haven't already said- there was recklessness, killing of innocents, and a blatant diregard for Palestinian lives, all at the cost of protecting Israeli soldiers.

When an Israeli friend of mine who served in the army about 5 years ago heard of stories of the intense brutality and mindless killing that happened in Gaza, he said, "I just can't imagine an Israeli soldier acting like that." According to him, in his time, even if it was just 5 years ago, and in his unit (which can make ALL the difference), soldiers were more responsible and humane. "I don't believe they would do that" he said with conviction.

Well, his experience serving in the IDF might have been different than what it is now, but Operation Cast Lead in Gaza is proof that times have changed. The IDF used to pride itself as being one of the most humane armies in the world, and still does, but it seems now as if it has just gone plain mad. According to a NYT article Ismael Haniya, the Hamas leader in Gaza even called it "el harb el majoona" or the "crazy war." During the attacks there was this intense feeling in the international community and news of "Oh my God, what are they doing??"

A note found in Gaza, written in Hebrew, that says to shoot upon being rescued.

The testimonies