Israeli forces loot, ransack homes of Palestinians in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor
30 Dec 2023 13:58
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Preliminary estimates suggest that the Israeli army may have looted valuable possessions worth tens of millions of dollars.

A screengrab from a video, featuring an Israeli soldier displaying a silver necklace with the inscription "Made in Gaza," which he pledged to give to his girlfriend. (Twitter)

A statement released on Friday by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reported that the Israeli army has not only authorized its soldiers in the Gaza Strip to engage in killings but also to partake in thug-like property theft and looting during raids on Palestinian civilian homes.

Euro-Med Monitor highlighted several instances where Israeli soldiers were involved in or witnessed the intentional theft of assets and money from Palestinian civilians, including items such as laptops, jewelry, and substantial amounts of cash.

Since their ground invasion of Gaza, Israeli occupation forces have been conducting home raids, incursions into residential areas, and arbitrary arrests of civilians .

Based on gathered testimonies, Euro-Med Monitor has revealed that the transgressions of the Israeli army go beyond arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and field executions.

The documented incidents also encompass deliberate property destruction, theft of personal belongings, and the looting and burning of homes—a systematic strategy evidently rooted in the collective punishment of the Palestinian population.

Drawing from the testimonies under examination, the Euro-Med Monitor team posited initial estimates suggesting that the Israeli army might have pilfered valuable possessions totaling tens of millions of dollars, in addition to stealing personal items from Palestinian civilians.

A case in point is that of Palestinian Thabet Salim, 40, who recounted to the Euro-Med Monitor team that he and his two sons were apprehended by the Israeli army from their residence al-Zaytun neighborhood, south of Gaza City. Salim reported that the army members had looted all of the gold and cash present. While Salim himself was released two days ago, the fate of his sons remains unknown.

“The amount of money the soldiers took from my house is worth more than 10,000 US dollars,” Salim said as quoted by Euro-Med, “plus nearly the same amount of gold from my wife, and the wife of my eldest son.”

The 'army of thieves'

Umm Muhammad Gharbiyya, a resident of al-Shujaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, recounted to the Euro-Med Monitor team that Israeli occupation forces seized her gold jewelry during a violent raid into her family's home earlier this month. Her husband and eldest son were also detained during the raid.

Hussein al-Tanani, a resident of al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in northern Gaza City, shared that upon returning to their home after seeking refuge in a nearby United Nations school from Israeli attacks, they discovered that their house had been raided by the Israeli army. During the raid, a computer and substantial amounts of cash were stolen, leaving a considerable mess behind.

The gathered testimonies by the Euro-Med Monitor teams align with reports from the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate’s "intelligence collection and technical spoils" unit, as published by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on December 15. According to these reports, the Israeli army had seized sums of money exceeding five million Israeli shekels (about $1,351,350 USD).

Euro-Med Monitor highlighted that the reported amount of money likely represents only a fraction of the unreported thefts carried out by invading Israeli forces. Simultaneously, circulating footage on social media (with the date and precise context unverified as of this publication) depicted three Israeli soldiers personally selling gold jewelry in a West Bank store, stolen from a house in the Gaza Strip.

تسرق عصابات القوات الإسرائيلية الاجرامية كل شيء – من المنازل، والأرواح، والأعضاء البشرية، إلى المجوهرات، إلى المال، إلى الطعام، والمياه، إلى ألعاب الأطفال والبضائع.
pic.twitter.com/78oFS8HdvT
— Dr.Sam Youssef Ph.D.,M.Sc.,DPT. (@drhossamsamy65) December 29, 2023

Euro-Med Monitor highlighted that Israeli soldiers themselves have shared videos on social media, showcasing their intentional destruction of civilian homes in the Gaza Strip. The videos also capture instances of spraying racist Zionist slogans on walls and boasting about seizing money and valuable possessions from Palestinians.

In press statements, Alia al-Najjar, 34, confirmed recognizing her gold jewelry in a video posted by Israeli soldiers. She identified a bracelet, purchased with her first teaching salary, as part of the displayed items in the video, stored in her mother's cloth purse alongside other cherished belongings. Al-Najjar labeled the soldiers as "thieves" in a comment on the video before its removal.

Israeli soldiers looting Palestinian belongings during ‘military operations’ in Gaza incl gold, antiques, money, mobile phones, & laptops worth tens of millions of dollars, then publishing the crimes on social media
Via @EuroMedHRAr https://t.co/EBRo9duKOL pic.twitter.com/Iguv0iCiNJ
— ♡ ✦ Ᾰnnie ✦ ♡ (@Betelgeuse100) December 29, 2023

Additional videos feature an Israeli soldier displaying a silver necklace with the inscription "Made in Gaza," which he pledges to give to his girlfriend. In another clip, a different soldier is seen carrying a guitar and singing amid the debris of demolished homes in the Gaza Strip.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has called for a thorough and impartial international investigation into the severe Israeli violations against Gaza Strip residents and their property. The organization urged the international community to take urgent measures to ensure legal accountability for Israeli actions.

🚨🇮🇱 Israeli soldiers dig up GRAVES and ASSAULT the DEAD BODIES of Palestinians!
pic.twitter.com/JvX1qBp86u
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) December 22, 2023

In a horrifying escalation of the atrocities committed during the recent Israeli invasion, reports reveal that the invading Israeli army is accused of not only plundering lives, memories, hopes, dreams, money, gold, food, and toys but also engaging in the ghastly act of stealing Palestinian vital organs. The shocking revelations point to a level of brutality that transcends previous accounts of immorality, bringing attention to the fact that the Israeli army is one of the world's most degrading armies.