Vengeance motivated Israeli harshness in Gaza, says peace activist to RT
Peace activist Yariv Oppenheimer stated that anger stemming from the October 7 Hamas incursion overshadowed any worries about civilian lives. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Yariv Oppenheimer has stated that anger following the Hamas attack on October 7 has overshadowed concerns for civilians.
A recent report by The New York Times, indicating that Israel has eased its rules of engagement in Gaza to permit mass civilian casualties, contributes to a “very ugly picture” of the ongoing conflict, according to Oppenheimer of Peace Now, speaking to RT.
The report claims that within hours of the Hamas assault last year, the Israel Defense Forces authorized junior officers to target even low-level threats, accepting the risk of civilian harm. This information comes from interviews with over 100 Israeli officers, as covered by the NYT on Thursday.
“I believe every word in this report,” Oppenheimer expressed to RTN on Friday, labeling the situation in Gaza as “very dramatic and disturbing.”
He pointed out that the Times article is not surprising to those closely observing events in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attack, as the Israeli military has acted out of anger, coupled with a “feeling of humiliation” within Israeli society.
While earlier rules of engagement permitted endangerment of up to 10 civilians, the IDF has reportedly raised that threshold to 20 and has even authorized strikes that could potentially affect over 100 civilians, as indicated in the Times.
“When I see the pictures coming from Gaza in the last 24 hours, it seems that the policy remains to hit the target even at the price of many Palestinian civilians that are being killed on the spot,” Oppenheimer stated.
He suggested that these revised rules of engagement appear to apply primarily to the ongoing "full-scale war" in Gaza, contrasting it with a more targeted approach during a recent Israeli invasion of Lebanon focused on Hezbollah.
“In Gaza it was a different story,” Oppenheimer noted. “The brutal attack of Hamas changed the minds of Israelis, including the people in the army.”
Oppenheimer argued that witnessing videos of some Palestinians celebrating the October 7 assault fostered a perception among Israeli soldiers, pilots, and commanders that “there’s no innocent people in Gaza.”
He remarked that Israeli society experienced humiliation after the Hamas attack, and emphasized that “the revenge element was there very strongly” in the aftermath, according to the peace activist.
The Hamas attack last year resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 Israelis, with around 250 individuals taken hostage. It is believed that about 100 Israelis are still held in Gaza.
Since then, more than 45,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Gaza, according to authorities run by Hamas in the enclave, with the UN reporting last month that nearly 70% of the confirmed casualties were women and children.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
A recent report by The New York Times, indicating that Israel has eased its rules of engagement in Gaza to permit mass civilian casualties, contributes to a “very ugly picture” of the ongoing conflict, according to Oppenheimer of Peace Now, speaking to RT.
The report claims that within hours of the Hamas assault last year, the Israel Defense Forces authorized junior officers to target even low-level threats, accepting the risk of civilian harm. This information comes from interviews with over 100 Israeli officers, as covered by the NYT on Thursday.
“I believe every word in this report,” Oppenheimer expressed to RTN on Friday, labeling the situation in Gaza as “very dramatic and disturbing.”
He pointed out that the Times article is not surprising to those closely observing events in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attack, as the Israeli military has acted out of anger, coupled with a “feeling of humiliation” within Israeli society.
While earlier rules of engagement permitted endangerment of up to 10 civilians, the IDF has reportedly raised that threshold to 20 and has even authorized strikes that could potentially affect over 100 civilians, as indicated in the Times.
“When I see the pictures coming from Gaza in the last 24 hours, it seems that the policy remains to hit the target even at the price of many Palestinian civilians that are being killed on the spot,” Oppenheimer stated.
He suggested that these revised rules of engagement appear to apply primarily to the ongoing "full-scale war" in Gaza, contrasting it with a more targeted approach during a recent Israeli invasion of Lebanon focused on Hezbollah.
“In Gaza it was a different story,” Oppenheimer noted. “The brutal attack of Hamas changed the minds of Israelis, including the people in the army.”
Oppenheimer argued that witnessing videos of some Palestinians celebrating the October 7 assault fostered a perception among Israeli soldiers, pilots, and commanders that “there’s no innocent people in Gaza.”
He remarked that Israeli society experienced humiliation after the Hamas attack, and emphasized that “the revenge element was there very strongly” in the aftermath, according to the peace activist.
The Hamas attack last year resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 Israelis, with around 250 individuals taken hostage. It is believed that about 100 Israelis are still held in Gaza.
Since then, more than 45,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Gaza, according to authorities run by Hamas in the enclave, with the UN reporting last month that nearly 70% of the confirmed casualties were women and children.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
