The Israeli army’s chief of staff Herzi Halevi has instructed troops “not to film revenge videos” after footage was used as evidence in the case against the regime for genocide before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
In a message to the Israeli army on Wednesday, Halevi stated that “we must be careful not to take anything that is not ours – a souvenir or weapons – and not to film revenge videos.”
An Israeli veterans’ organisation said on Wednesday the troops in Gaza are publishing videos of items they’ve looted from Gaza.
“We’ve collected many testimonies over the years from different areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which occurred in varying circumstances. But these past few months have been different,” it said.
The organization noted that “looting has never been normalized in the way it has over the last four months. It’s never been done with such glee, knowing that the Israeli public and the world are watching – and all with such little interest from the military’s top brass, not to mention our politicians.”
Media reports indicated that the Israeli army has looted nearly $25 million worth of money and gold artifacts from the Palestinians’ houses across the Gaza Strip amid the ravages of the months-long war.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor recently revealed that Israeli forces are systematically looting Palestinians’ homes across the besieged territory, stealing their property in addition to killing thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
It added that Israeli soldiers participate in and witness the deliberate theft of the assets and money of Palestinian civilians, including laptop computers, gold, and large quantities of cash.
In recent months, dozens of Israeli soldiers also appeared in videos documenting retaliatory actions in Gaza since Oct. 7. Videos showed Israeli soldiers blowing up Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip in revenge for dead troops amid a deadly offensive on the war-battered region.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Israeli military chief also confessed the Palestinian resistance fighters were far from being defeated in Gaza.
“We have been fighting for four months, and we still have a long way to go,” he said
Several countries last month hailed an interim ruling by the ICJ on the emergency measures requested by South Africa in its genocide case against Israel over the regime’s war on the Gaza Strip.
The developments come as the top UN court on Wednesday held a third day of hearings on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. World envoys call for an urgent end to the occupation.
The Russian representative slammed Israel’s collective punishment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The majority of the speakers have demanded that Israel end its occupation.
At least 52 countries and several International organizations are taking part in the six-day oral proceedings at The Hague.
In contrast, the US continues with its unconditional support for the Israeli regime as the ICJ held oral hearings on the consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
The US says the court shouldn’t urge Israel to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territory.
The most recent US veto of a UN Security Council resolution which called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza has prompted widespread criticism.
China has warned that the US decision could push the situation in Gaza into a more dangerous phase.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also expressed its deep regret over the UNSC failure to adopt the resolution. The OIC also renewed its call for the international community to take urgent measures to stop the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli massacre of Palestinians in Gaza keeps unfolding as the regime pounds the blockaded territory with airstrikes and artillery now more than four months into the genocidal campaign.
So far, it has claimed the lives of over 29,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
