A former Israeli occupation forces (IOF) reservist, Yuval Green, 26, recalled serious misconduct by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza, including the destruction of homes and looting, motivated by a desire "for revenge", in an interview for CNN.

It's a familiar story: Israeli soldiers are openly admitting to shooting to kill and demolishing everything in their path. Amid the ongoing genocide, these atrocities are unfolding live and unabated.

Last month, three Israeli reserve soldiers, including Green, who had participated in the ongoing Israeli genocidal carnage in Gaza described entering homes without military justification, stealing, and then burning them down, causing more killings, shooting children, and even killing their captives. These actions, according to their testimonies, have led them to renounce their service in the Israeli military.

This came shortly after six Israeli soldiers presented harrowing testimonies as they recounted how their fellow soldiers routinely executed Palestinian civilians to release pent-up frustration or alleviate boredom. 

During a recent interview for CNN, Green, a former paratrooper, criticized the lack of discipline within the command structure. He is among a few soldiers who have served in the Israeli war on Gaza and are now openly condemning its execution.

Green, once again, recounted the behavior and wrongdoings of his fellow reservists in Gaza and detailed the moment he informed his commanders that he could no longer be part of his unit.

Demonizing of Palestinians 

As the ongoing genocide enters its 10 months, "Israel" has left extensive casualties —ranging from at least 40,000 to 186,000 Palestinians, mainly children and women. Thousands more are believed to be buried beneath the rubble, with at least 90,000 wounded, and the overwhelming majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million population forcibly displaced. Meanwhile, observers fear that "Israel" could wage a full-blown aggression against Lebanon.

Green told CNN that he was stationed on the Gaza perimeter in November before being deployed into the Strip on December 2, spending 51 days in Khan Younis in the South. He recounted how the anger among Israelis and calls for revenge after October 7 were openly expressed within his unit, describing it as the "demonizing" of Palestinians.
 
“In the days before we entered Khan Younis … there was this atmosphere that was kind of growing of demonizing the Gazans,” he said, stressing that he heard IOF soldiers “speaking about killing, ruining all of Gaza. Wiping it out became something that people [were discussing] as if it was some kind of a legitimate idea.”

The IOF's rules of engagement in Gaza have faced significant scrutiny. Green asserted that IOF commanders on the ground appeared to yield to soldiers' wishes for fewer restrictions on their conduct compared to previous incursions.
 
“I felt like my commanders were trying to kind of go with the soldiers and try to say things that they thought … (were) what the soldiers wanted to hear. You know, saying things like, ‘We’re not going to have any boundaries in Gaza this time," he further stressed.

‘We don’t care enough’ about Palestinian lives

The genocide in Gaza has led to extensive material damage to homes, infrastructure, hospitals, and schools. Green reported that he observed the "unnecessary" destruction of Palestinian homes.
 
“We’ve seen a lot of destruction that was not necessarily related to military reasons. Everything tends to (get) really mix up, you know – people are destroying houses because they believe that they should (get) revenge (for) what happened on (October 7) and it mixes up with the reasons to destroy houses for military reasons,” Green said, stressing that he bore witness of “chaos … I could tell you 100% that we’ve destroyed houses at least for reasons that … we don’t care enough about the lives of Palestinians.” 

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Regarding the extent of the damage in Gaza, he remarked, “You can’t imagine it. Cities that are completely ruined.”

'You're seeing looting by your peers all the time'

Green told CNN that one of his greatest concerns was witnessing the looting of Palestinian homes by soldiers in his unit.

“You’re seeing looting by your peers all the time. That was something (that) was very difficult for me to see. I mean, people were taking ‘souvenirs’ (from) the Palestinians’ houses, which I think directly relates to the demonization we’ve seen before the entrance to Khan Younis,” he stressed. “People were taking, you know, necklaces and doing graffiti on the walls and … leaving behind damage to the houses that was just completely unnecessary.”

“At some point, my commander told my platoon to burn down the house we’re staying at,” Green recalled. “And I went to him, I approached him and I asked him, ‘Why are we doing that?’ And he gave me a few reasons, and I think those reasons were just not strong enough.”

The revenge type

Ultimately, a specific incident prompted Green to make the difficult decision to leave his unit: when an IOF commander reportedly ordered the burning of a Palestinian home where they were stationed.

“They were, you know, military type of reasons, but they (were mixed up with) the revenge type of reasons. Now, I think this is just what’s going on in Gaza. Israel is doing things because it needs to fulfill a type of military purpose, but it all mixes up with our need for – or the Israeli need for – revenge.”

“I said, ‘I’m not willing to participate in that. I’m not destroying a house that belonged to a few families that would become homeless because of that – and I’m leaving.’ And I just (left) with the next car that went out.”

Green said he chose to speak out publicly to pressure the Israeli government into accepting a ceasefire and deal. 

Read more: 'Israel's' assassination of Haniyeh to sabotage Gaza solution: Brazil

“I think there are concrete deals on the table right now, that Hamas is agreeing to, that make sense. I mean, those deals say that all the hostages would be freed – and Israel is not accepting the ending of the war. And this is crazy,” Green said.

“I’ve seen it from within,” he stressed. “I mean, we said nothing before we entered Gaza about the hostages. We could have killed them, you know, any moment, and it’s something that has happened. We know about more than 10 hostages that were killed directly from Israeli bombings or, you know, the three hostages that were killed.” 

“We have to tell our government to stop the war. This is the only right solution to save the lives of Palestinians that are dying every day and going through a living hell the past few months, saving the lives of soldiers, Israeli soldiers, that are now present in Gaza and dying every day, and obviously the lives of hostages,” he tersely stated.

'It's a matter of life and death'

In June, Green joined 40 other reservists in signing a letter refusing to serve in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. He is one of just three soldiers to speak out publicly.

“Obviously it’s something very controversial in Israel, but I was willing to sacrifice, you know, my privacy and (to come) out with a topic as controversial as that, because I believe that right now, it’s a matter of life and death," he stated.

“When people are criticizing me for that, and I’ve heard people … that said they were worried that I might get hurt in that process – that always felt very weird because, you know, I went inside Gaza. I literally have risked my life. But people are now more afraid that I might get hurt, you know, by just coming out with words,” he added. “It’s part of the problem with our situation right now,” he concluded.