GAZA
— "They arrested my husband and looted his savings in front of my eyes. I
tried to plead with the soldier to return the gold, but he hit me with his
weapon and threatened to shoot me in the heart," said Raneen, a Gaza
resident who provided her testimony as ongoing looting takes over the strip.
اضافة اعلان
Raneen is one of the few people targeted by the
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
during ground incursions into Gaza. According to the Gaza government media
office, the IOF has looted around $25 million worth of go
ld
from Gaza residents, with some of the lootings documented on IOF's TikTok.
Moreover,
the
Euro-Med Human Rights Observatory documented cases revealing the
involvement of occupation soldiers in the systematic theft of Palestinians'
money and belongings, estimating the stolen amount in the tens of millions of
dollars, Khaberni reported.
In a
testament by Sahar Nisar, another victim of IOF looting, she said that IOF
stationed at military checkpoints on Salah ad-Din Street, a secure passageway
from the IOF, were stopping to torture and confiscate items from residents,
including her gold, which she said would be used to sell to sustain their daily
lives after displacement. The amount of stolen gold amounted to $12,000.
While
International Humanitarian Law prohibits forces from seizing civilians'
property during or outside conflicts, and Israeli occupation law can penalize
such operations, human rights organizations have called the lootings part of
systematic operations.
Ismael
Thawabteh, the director of the government media office, says, "The theft
operations carried out by Israeli soldiers came in various ways, including
forcibly taking gold from the hands of residents or looting their properties
during home invasions and searches."
Thawabteh
adds, "These are systematic theft operations of Gaza residents' money.
There are clear indications that the army leadership unleashed soldiers in Gaza
to engage in unethical practices. However, the important question is how to
compensate these people for the years of their hard work to collect their
savings."
Documented on TikTok
Proof
can be seen in some documented videos of IOF's actions as they documented via
social media, mostly circulated on TikTok, seizing possessions from Gaza
residents.
One
video showed an Israeli soldier displaying a necklace with the inscription
"Made in Gaza," with a crystal stone, proudly stating that he seized
it. At the end of the clip, some of them tested it with their teeth to ensure
its authenticity. However, most of these recorded clips, which the soldiers
boasted about, were deleted after causing controversy, even within official
Israeli circles, which quickly announced that these actions did not represent
the values and ethics of the Israeli occupation army.
In
another clip, an Israeli soldier appeared with a golden bracelet shaped like a
snake recognized by Aliaa Al-Najjar. She says, "Due to the hasty
displacement, we left behind many of our possessions and belongings in our
homes, including my precious bracelet."
Al-Najjar
adds, "I saw some of my jewelry that I kept in one of the videos posted by
the soldiers. I recognized the distinctive design of my 24-carat gold
leaf-shaped jewelry. The Israeli soldier displayed it inside a cloth pouch
owned by my mother, where she kept other gold pieces and precious
belongings."
In
her statement, she said, "I recognized my jewelry from the cloth pouch
that my mother had been keeping for years, and when I confirmed that it was my
jewelry, I commented on the video using (Google) translation, writing, 'You are
thieves.' But the soldier quickly deleted the clip."
Israel does not deny that looting is
happening
The
issue of jewelry theft from Gaza was discussed in the Israeli media. According
to YNet, IOF seized jewelry estimated at five million dollars from Gaza and
handed it over to the loot unit in the Technology and Logistics Division of the
Israeli army. The "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper wrote that "since
the beginning of the ground invasion of the sector, the Israeli army has seized
five million shekels (1.5 million dollars) and transferred it to the financial
department of the Ministry of Defense, but it pointed out that the seizure
operations were from the strongholds of the (Hamas) movement and the homes of
its members."
However,
Israeli Occupation Army Spokesman Daniel Hagari stated, "Forces in our
country have the highest ethics globally, and they cannot perform such
operations. This is unacceptable." But he adds, "If it happens, we
investigate it, and if proven, it is irresponsible behavior. We will discipline
the soldiers. We adhere to the highest ethics, and we are fighting a war in
which we adhere to international law and rules of engagement."
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