More than a hundred Israeli soldiers and reservists have broken their silence, accusing their own military of widespread crimes, brutality, and ethical collapse in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, according to Tasnim News Agency.
According to Israel’s Kan network, the group sent a letter to Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, highlighting what they describe as a systemic breakdown in discipline and moral standards among Israeli forces. The letter, published Thursday, calls out behavior that, in the soldiers’ words, violates the army’s own training principles, including the much-touted “purity of arms,” which is supposed to protect civilians.
“These events contradict everything we were taught,” the officers wrote, warning that such acts of brutality have not only undermined morale but also crippled military effectiveness. Many signatories are veterans with ranks up to deputy division commander, and they urged Halevi to launch internal investigations to restore discipline and enforce accountability.
Kan noted that military censors allowed only limited excerpts to be published, suggesting attempts to suppress internal dissent. Nevertheless, other Israeli outlets, including Haaretz and The Times of Israel, reported on the growing unease within the army and calls for structural reform.
This is part of a continuing pattern of whistleblowing by Israeli soldiers. In June, troops reported being ordered to fire on Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid, while in March, one soldier admitted using civilians as human shields in CBS News interviews.
Observers say the letters underscore the deepening fractures within an army long criticized for its role in occupation and repression; revealing that even its own ranks are grappling with the weight of these actions.
