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Home » Soldiers »

Testimony - "A kind of fun"

 

Name: Anonymous
Rank: First Sergeant
Unit: Paratroopers Brigade
Location: Gaza Strip border
Date: 2008

A former Israeli soldier provides a testimony to Breaking the Silence in which he describes how Palestinian children trying to cross from Gaza into Israel were sometimes left outside tied and blindfolded for two days.

Soldier: Once every few nights people would try to cross the fence and we stopped them. Usually these were little kids, and the claim was that they were sent by terrorists to check if the fence was crossable.
 
Interviewer: What age are the kids we’re talking about?
 
Soldier: 12-14, approximately. They simply tried to cross the fence, over to the Israeli side. They claimed they came to work, I don’t know. We didn’t talk with them much. They would hop over the fence or cross in spots inside the riverbed where there is no fence.
 
Interviewer: What were the instructions?
 
Soldier: Nothing. The lookouts would spot them, the patrol would catch them, tie them up, blindfold them, hands shackled behind their backs, and that was it. They’d be left at the company HQ for a day or so. In certain cases it was longer, two days. I recall it was kind of fun to leave someone there. They were left at the entrance to the mess hall, on the side, in a shady corner. Then the Shabak (General Security Services) would pick them up.
 
Interviewer: What do you mean by 'fun’?
 
Soldier: There was this saying: 'We have a detainee.’ Soldiers wanted to have their picture taken. Usually they were not allowed to do so, but sometimes they did. It was done, but it wasn’t actually permitted. As though it didn’t happen, but everyone did it. People would video tape themselves, they made clips: 'Say 'Advanced Company’ is the bomb, come on, say it!’ Finally, some action. You’re in such routine out there, every day it’s the same thing, it’s all terrible … you’re looking for stuff. Suddenly there was something to talk about.
 
Interviewer: They’re shackled constantly, the whole day or two?
 
Soldier: Yes. Tied up. Whoever is on duty that day brings them food, water. If they need to go to the bathroom someone would take them. Or for cigarettes. I don’t know. There wasn’t anyone specific in charge.
 
Interviewer: Did the company commander say anything about different treatment for children?
 
Soldier: No. As usual. There was not that many children caught. They were not considered kids. They were 'assisting terrorists’. They weren’t perceived as little kids. That’s simply what was said. Only in hindsight, when I’d think about it, I said I don’t know what they actually did, probably came to look for work. I don’t really know why they tried to cross the fence.
 
Interviewer: How often would you arrest kids like that?
 
Soldier: I remember there was always someone around. Almost always.
 
Interviewer: Would someone passing by them slap them on the way, or were they well treated?
 
Soldier: There were all sorts of incidents, but the officers were also involved. If they saw someone hitting the kid … I remember a few people were up for trial because they had hit a kid. The intelligence officer saw two soldiers beating one of the detainees. I think they were about 16 years old, if I remember correctly. After that they were tried and were made to stay on the base for the weekend. Something like that.