Four candid testimonies from Israeli soldiers who have served in Gaza

Breaking the Silence is a group which collects secret testimonies from former soldiers to try to enlighten the Israeli public as to the true nature of the army’s activities in the West Bank and Gaza.

This week it took testimonies from soldiers who served in previous Israeli operations in the region.

They do not include anything from the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Staff Sgt Shai Davidovich

Field intelligence, 2012, Northern Gaza Strip

We were positioned east of Beit Hanoun. People are walking around in the streets with lots of children hanging about.

I see kids on bicycles in a street where shells are falling and the children run around free.

Our mission was to shoot at sources of fire. You see houses but it’s very difficult to detect a target. You can’t be precise – you can’t really aim.