Israeli veterans say permissive rules of engagement fueled Gaza carnage

In this July 29, 2014 photo, smoke and fire from an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City. (Hatem Moussa/AP)

A Palestinian girl walks past a house that witnesses said was destroyed by Israeli shelling during a 50-day war last summer, in the east of Gaza City April 27, 2015. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

By William Booth-May 4

TEL AVIV — The war last summer between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead and vast areas reduced to rubble. On Monday a group of Israeli veterans released sobering testimony from fellow soldiers that suggests permissive rules of engagement coupled with indiscriminate artillery fire contributed to the mass destruction andhigh numbers of civilian casualties in the coastal enclave.

The organization of active and reserve duty soldiers, called Breaking the Silence, gathered testimonies from more than 60 enlisted men and officers who served in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge.

Israeli Veterans Say Permissive Rules of Engagement Fueled Gaza Carnage by Thavam Ratna