The official Israeli Broadcasting Authority said on Saturday that a video clip posted on social media shows Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip opening fire without cause or military orders while celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim.
The clip, published by the Broadcasting Authority, shows one of the battalion commanders reading a passage from the Torah (the Jewish holy book), wearing a clown hat, before other soldiers open fire for no reason.
The official body said that the soldiers, serving in Battalion 7015, were accused of violating the rules of fire and military discipline.
Israeli military sources told the commission that the incident "reflects a breakdown in military discipline and a disregard for instructions and rules of engagement."
The official body stated that the army command had decided to expel a number of soldiers and take disciplinary action against them after a video clip emerged of them firing live ammunition, without cause or military orders, during the Jewish holiday of Purim, which began yesterday and ends today.
Since the Israeli military began its aggression on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Israeli soldiers have released videos showing the destruction of buildings and homes in the Strip, as well as scenes documenting their attacks on Palestinian property inside their destroyed homes, sometimes in a mocking and inhumane manner.
Despite the entry into force of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel on January 19, 2025, Israel continues to target Palestinians with live ammunition and drone strikes.
By the end of March 1, 2025, the first phase of the agreement, which lasted 42 days, had concluded, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had disavowed the start of the second phase.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 160,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.
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Israeli occupation soldiers open fire randomly in Gaza during Purim celebrations.