Orders from above

Recently, IDF soldiers have put down some damning testimonies relating to Operation Cast Lead, Israel's brutal invasion of the Gaza strip over the New Year.  The testimonies, from about 30 soldiers, were gathered by Breaking the Silence, "an army veterans organisation that seeks to "expose the Israeli public to the routine situations of everyday life in the occupied territories."

As reported in The Independent, "Israeli Soldiers Reveal the Brutal Truth of Gaza Attack":

The first eye-witness accounts of the war by serving Israeli reservists and conscripts describes the Israeli use of Palestinian civilians as "human shields". They detail the killing of at least two civilians, the vandalism, looting and wholesale destruction of Palestinian houses, the use of deadly white phosphorus, bellicose religious advice from army rabbis and what another battalion commander described to his troops as "insane firepower with artillery and air force". 

Despite official accounts that homes were only destroyed for strictly "operational" reasons, one reservist, a veteran of the conflict in Gaza since before 2005, said "I never knew such fire power" used by tanks and helicopters for the "constant destruction" of houses. 

 Palestinian human shields – or "johnnies" as they were termed by soldiers on the ground – were suborned to enter surrounded houses ahead of troops, including houses known to contain armed militants.

One soldier said an army rabbi had "aimed at inspiring the men with courage, cruelty aggressiveness, expressions as 'no pity. God protects you. Everything you do is sanctified'... there were specific scenarios discussed... but from the context it was pretty obvious he came to tell us how aggressive and determined we need to be, that we must win because this is a holy war"