Ashkenazi: Accounts were false
Photo: Yaron Brenner
Destruction in Gaza
Photo: Reuters
IDF chief of staff glad troops' Gaza 'testimonies' were thrown out
Ashkenazi tells soldiers in letter that accounts of military misconduct in Gaza lack factual basis
IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi
wrote to soldiers Sunday regarding testimonies of immoral military conduct
during Israel's offensive
in Gaza.
In his annual Passover letter to IDF troops Ashkenazi wrote, "I am happy the 'testimonies' turned out to be false and lacking of any factual foundation."
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Last month news agencies published controversial testimonies given by soldiers present during the fighting in Gaza, which contained a number of instances in which soldiers deliberately hurt innocent Gazan civilians.
Two weeks later Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Avi Mandelblit ordered the case closed due to lack of evidence.
In his Pesach epistle Ashkenazi wrote, "The 'testimonies' that came from the mouths of soldiers regarding inappropriate actions and the deliberate harming of the civilian population had me very concerned. If at the end of an investigation we discover that there had been some aberrations from the norms they will be handled accordingly."
He added, "The IDF is determined to maintain and uphold its values and moral image. This is the origin of our strength. We will never adopt the ways and manners of our enemies, and will always remain faithful to the morals and traditions of our people."
He explained that the Gaza offensive was launched as a last resort, "after a long period of restraint and forbearance", and out of a desire "to protect our homes and citizens from the threat of terror".
"Our enemies have turned their people into human shields and hostages and have chosen to launch fire and death from their homes, schools, hospitals, and mosques," Ashkenazi wrote.
"They imposed on us a battlefield full of civilians. We were determined to focus the fighting on terrorists and their infrastructure and at the same time to make every effort to preserve the lives of our soldiers and avoid harming civilians unrelated to the fighting."
