Khaberni - "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper has shed light on the difficulties faced by the Israeli army in containing the acts of "spoils" committed by its soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon.
The newspaper reported today, Sunday, that even after the Israeli Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, denounced the acts of "spoils" committed by the military elements in the combat zones in Gaza and Lebanon, soldiers who have witnessed this phenomenon confirm the weakness in law enforcement and the army's policy towards this issue.
The report quoted Sergeant First Class "A", a reservist in the 162nd Brigade, who completed a month-and-a-half reservist service tour in Lebanon last Wednesday, as saying: "On Sunday, during our last mission, we were accompanied by a regular force from the Nahal Battalion. They arrived with boxes full of civilian properties. It was strange. Their squad leader noticed that, gathered them, and told them: 'Once we return to Israel, we will conduct an inspection, and anyone found carrying civilian items not belonging to them will be immediately dismissed from the service'."
He continued: "As if by miracle, at that very moment, they dropped everything in their hands - blankets, envelopes (I assume filled with money), photos, and many equipment."
Unlike this case, which was thwarted at the last minute thanks to the squad leader, Sergeant (A) recounted various looting incidents he witnessed: "We met many reservist forces on the border, they simply took everything. Weapons, souvenirs, jewelry, blankets, photos. In Gaza, one entered with a truck carrying a sofa, and a violent altercation occurred there before we intervened to contain the incident."
He added: "Seven months ago, in areas where forces were stationed in Gaza, each company created its own area, filled with equipment (stolen) from the sector, even full living rooms.. There is no shame, nor even an attempt to conceal it."
The soldier explained that the problem lies in the absence of a strict mechanism for oversight and law enforcement, making the prevention of these violations dependent on the field commanders' discretion: "It solely depends on the field commander’s value level, at the platoon leader level, there is no system."
Another reservist soldier, Captain (Reserve) "A" from the 36th Brigade, witnessed this phenomenon from the first weeks of fighting in Gaza in November 2023. He said: "This phenomenon was more prevalent at the start of the war, when there was still things to loot."
He continued: "We entered the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, and everything was bustling, shops were crowded, and there was stuff to take. I saw engineering units entering a tobacco shop, completely emptying it, transporting everything to the warehouse. Entire boxes and packets.. I didn't see any of the leaders comment on it. They also took items with Palestinian or Hamas symbols as souvenirs.. Palestinian scarves, and military police shirts. And even then, nothing was said to them."
According to the soldier, during the months of fighting in Gaza, this phenomenon saw a decline, but not because of stricter orders, but because "there was less to take."
Although the scale of "spoils", according to Captain "A", has reduced as the fighting progressed in Gaza, other fighters note that with the deployment of forces in Lebanon, the situation deteriorated once again. Captain (Reserve) "H", a commander in the 98th Brigade, who is currently on a service tour along the northern border, said: "They (the soldiers) mostly took things from electronic stores and home appliance shops in the area we were operating in.. Toasters, kettles, blenders.. as well as special kitchen tools, cups, and coffee and tea sets, hookahs, and rugs from residents' homes"
He explained that the leaders had previously talked about this unacceptable phenomenon and prohibited it, but without any real enforcement of the ban.
"Yedioth Ahronoth" said that it had requested last week from the army spokesperson to provide information about the military police investigations opened due to the spoils incidents in Lebanon and Gaza.
So far, the army has only provided data on the scale of reported spoils incidents in Gaza in 2024, where only 9 reports were received that year, 6 of which led to an investigation by the military police, while one resulted in an indictment.
The Israeli army stressed that it "takes very seriously any damage to civilian property, and to looting in general, and strictly prohibits it."
