IOF officer admits authorizing tank fire on 'Be’eri' housing unit: NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The New York Times + Israeli media
25 Dec 2023 13:36
3 Shares

Twelve of the 14 Israeli settlers have been reportedly killed in the Israeli shelling on "Be’eri" housing unit.

A screengrab shows an IOF tank arriving at Israeli settler Pesi Cohen’s housing unit in “Be’eri" Kibbutz, on October 7. (Israeli Channel 12)

Israeli newspaper Haaretz published footage, on December 19, documenting the moment when an Israeli tank fired shells at a settler's housing unit in Kibbutz "Be'eri" in southern occupied Palestine on October 7.

In a related development, an IOF officer divulged, in an interview for The New York Times, that he had authorized a tank to launch two shells at a settler's housing unit in Kibbutz "Be’eri" on October 7. The housing unit had 14 Israeli settlers inside of it.

Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram recalled ordering the tank commander. “The negotiations are over. Break in, even at the cost of civilian casualties,” as reported by The New York Times.

Shortly after, the tank fired two shells, as seen in footage from a police chopper aired on Israeli Channel 12 news. The shrapnel from the second shell killed Israeli settler Adi Dagan, 68, and injured his wife, Hadas Dagan, 70. Twelve of the 14 Israeli settlers were killed in the Israeli shelling.

Hadas Dagan, aged 70, and Yasmin Porat, 44, were the sole survivors of the Israeli shelling on its settlements.

This comes almost a week after a video was released on October 7 by Israeli Channel 12, showing an Israeli tank firing a shell at a settler's housing unit where Resistance fighters were allegedly barricaded with Israeli captives.

The newspaper added that the video, published last night, was filmed from a helicopter belonging to the Israeli police, which was deployed to the area after the incident.

Quoting one of the settlers who fled from an event in "Re'im" and hid in one of the kibbutz, the newspaper reported that she approached an Israeli soldier and asked if the tank shells would harm the settlers. The soldier replied, "They only fire shells at the sides to bring down the walls," but she added that the tank was hit, so another tank was called in, and it resumed targeting the housing unit after arriving at the scene.

The newspaper also quoted Yair Avital, a member of the "standby squad at the kibbutz," as saying that "500 soldiers were standing outside and settlers here are losing blood every minute. And the army that was outside here was standing..."

This comes after an Israeli witness once again disclosed that Israeli tanks targeted both settlers and members of the Palestinian Resistance on October 7.

Israeli media had previously reported the killing of a 12-year-old girl, Liel Hetzroni, in "Be'eri" Kibbutz in southern occupied Palestine.

After Liel's killing, her grandfather, twin brother, and aunt were reportedly taken to another location, where they, along with more than 10 other Israeli captives, were killed. Subsequently, there were allegations that Hamas set fire to the building. The incident was prominently covered in the Israeli media under the title of " Hamas brutality".

Israeli witness exposes Israeli lies

After Israeli settler Yasmin Porat asserted that Israeli forces "undoubtedly" killed settlers held captive, Hadas Dagan, the appropriator of the house, also spoke out.

In an interview for Channel 12, Dagan confirmed that the Israeli army indeed attacked the unit where settlers were held captive, using tank fire and heavy weapons.

Describing the "horror of the incident," which claimed the lives of 14 settlers, including her husband, Dagan recounted the moment the Israeli army arrived, expressing her realization that their role was to serve as "a human shield between the arriving Israeli forces and fighters."

IOF had prior knowledge of settlers in the targeted house

Porat, in a previous interview, asserted that the housing unit she was in with Hamas fighters was surrounded by Israeli forces. Intense confrontations ensued between the two sides. Then, she exited the premises.

During her three-hour interrogation by Israeli forces, she provided information about the settlers in the unit, their location, and technical details she remembered about the place.

Porat mentioned that the fighting persisted during the interrogation. She noted that at around 7:30 pm, after nearly four hours of ongoing crossfire between the Israeli army and Hamas, a tank arrived in front of the house.

"I know that there were two rounds fired from the tank," Porat stated, noting that she reached the same conclusion based on what Hadas Dagan shared with her.

'Israel' implemented 'mass Hannibal' on October 7

An Israeli armed forces pilot revealed that the Hannibal directive was implemented on October 7. Lt. Col. Nof Erez, in an interview for the Israeli daily Haaretz, pointed out the potential use of the directive by Israeli forces on October 7.

“The Hannibal Protocol, for which we have been conducting drills for the past 20 years, concerns a single vehicle with hostages in it. You know which part of the fence it goes through, which way on the road it heads to, and even which route it takes,” he said.

“What we’ve seen here is a mass Hannibal. There were many gaps in the fences. There were thousands of people in many different vehicles, both with and without hostages,” he added.

IOF killed party attendees, Hamas was unaware of event: Israeli probe

Israeli media reported that an internal security assessment found that Israeli helicopters that arrived at the party site during the October 7 operation killed a number of party-goers.

The Israeli security establishment's assessment regarding the events on October 7 was that Palestinian Resistance fighters were unaware of the Nova festival in Kibbutz "Re'im" and only learned about it after gliders reached the area and drones were airborne, Haaretz reported on November 19.

The Israeli newspaper said the Israeli police investigation into the incident found that the Palestinian Resistance had planned to reach Kibbutz "Re'im" and other kibbutzes during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood but discovered the party during the infiltration itself.

It is worth noting that Israeli media reports have lately suggested that they may face restrictions on news reporting, especially those related to the deliberations of the Israeli cabinet during the ongoing aggression on Gaza and the war with the Palestinian Resistance.

The media mentioned that the Israeli occupation's "National Security" Advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, urgently sent a letter to Israeli Military Censor Brigadier General Kobi Mandelblit, requesting to limit the publication of news, particularly those related to cabinet deliberations during the war, due to the significant harm it causes.