Israeli troops interviewed for a new TV documentary say legal limits and formal rules meant to protect civilians in Gaza have effectively collapsed, leaving life-and-death choices to individual commanders. The film, Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, which airs in the UK on ITV, features on-record and anonymous testimonies from servicemen and contractors who describe widespread abuses and a breakdown in oversight.
Several interviewees report that Palestinian civilians were routinely used as human shields, contradicting official denials. Witnesses also say Israeli forces fired on people racing toward food distribution points managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). A contractor identified as Sam recounts watching two men shot while running for aid and seeing a tank destroy a civilian vehicle carrying four people.
An armoured corps officer, Capt Yotam Vilk, says soldiers were formally taught to engage only when a target had ‘means, intent and ability’ to harm others, but he adds that in Gaza that standard had evaporated. He says soldiers now act on vague suspicions—such as a man aged roughly 20–40 walking where he is not supposed to be—rather than a clear, immediate threat.
Another interviewee, identified as Eli, describes a system in which the conscience of the local commander, not written procedures, determines who lives or dies. He gives examples of trivial behaviours—walking too fast or too slowly, falling behind a group—being read as hostile intent. Eli recounts an order from a senior officer to shell a building in an area declared safe; a man hanging laundry on the roof was treated as a lookout and the strike killed and wounded many people, despite the nearest friendly forces being hundreds of metres away.
The programme also links some soldiers’ conduct to the political and religious rhetoric that followed Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed. Several interviewees say inflammatory language from politicians and some religious figures conveyed the idea that civilians in Gaza could be treated as legitimate targets. One commander in the film says repeated messages that ‘there was no such thing as an innocent in Gaza’ filtered into attitudes inside the army and changed how troops acted.
A UN commission concluded in September that Israeli actions in Gaza amounted to genocide and cited incitement from Israeli leaders as part of its assessment of intent. The commission quoted statements by senior figures, including a remark from President Isaac Herzog shortly after 7 October asserting collective responsibility. A spokesperson for Herzog has said the president is a vocal supporter of humanitarian efforts and the protection of civilians.
Breaking Ranks presents examples of extremist religious messaging inside units. A brigade rabbi is recalled urging revenge against Palestinians, including civilians, and another military rabbi who spent extended time in Gaza is shown describing the area as a single, monolithic terrorist environment. That rabbi appears to have advocated and taken part in large-scale demolitions and tactics that were later more widely adopted, such as wider use of armoured bulldozers.
Soldiers describe an informal tactic nicknamed the ‘mosquito protocol,’ in which civilians were coerced to enter tunnels or other areas while carrying phones that transmitted location and mapping data back to Israeli forces. Commanders reportedly spread the method after seeing it ‘‘work’’ in operations.
The IDF told the programme that it forbids using civilians as human shields, that orders against coercing civilians have been repeatedly issued, and that allegations of misconduct are investigated. In a written statement the military said it remains committed to the rule of law and operates within legal and ethical obligations despite the operational complexity posed by Hamas’s embedding within civilian infrastructure.
Independent analyses cited in the programme have suggested extremely high civilian casualty rates. A Guardian analysis of Israeli military data in August concluded that about 83% of those killed in Gaza were civilians; the IDF disputed that interpretation. Since the conflict began more than 69,000 Palestinians have been reported killed, and deaths continued even after a ceasefire that started a month earlier.
UN figures cited in the film say at least 944 Palestinian civilians were killed near GHF aid distribution sites. Both GHF and the IDF deny deliberately targeting people seeking food, and the IDF rejects claims of systematic war crimes, saying it takes steps to minimise civilian harm. The documentary notes that internal probes into civilian deaths have produced almost no disciplinary or legal accountability.
Breaking Ranks also highlights the personal cost for some soldiers who participated. One commander says his sense of pride in being Israeli and an IDF officer has been replaced by shame.
Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War is scheduled to air in the UK at 10.45pm on Monday 10 November on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
