Officers serving along the Yellow Line on the Gaza Strip border claim that in recent weeks there has been a significant change in the implementation of open-fire regulations toward Gazans approaching the fence or crossing it, Ynet reported on Monday.
According to the report, Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Liron Batito instructed changes to the way procedures are implemented on the ground. One officer said: “Until now, the battalion commander would brief us that any adult who crossed the Yellow Line was subject to ‘shoot-to-hit.’ That has changed to a suspect-arrest procedure that ends, at most, with shooting at the knees."
According to the officers, attempts to approach and cross the border occur daily. While some of those crossing are not necessarily terrorists, they are sometimes used to test IDF forces’ patterns of response on behalf of Hamas.
“We are stunned by the recent change in the open-fire regulations," a reserve officer said. “We see the preparations, and we know that crossings of the Yellow Line are part of an effort to test our deployment."
Another officer described frustration among the soldiers.
“There have been incidents, and the soldiers are not being allowed to shoot. Drones cross the border and the troops were not approved to fire. Every day, many people are crossing. They are playing games with us - this is October 7 on steroids. All the soldiers here are frustrated," he said.
The officers claim that the main concern is that the change will be interpreted by the other side as weakness and harm Israeli deterrence. According to them, the enemy continues to test the forces on the ground, and easing the use of live fire could encourage additional attempts to approach the fence.
The IDF rejected the claims and stated that there has been no change in the open-fire regulations: “There has been no change in the open-fire regulations. IDF soldiers operating in the Strip are permitted and even required to remove any threat, while at the same time avoiding harm to uninvolved civilians as much as possible."
However, several of the commanders quoted in the report insisted that in practice there has been a change in policy. According to them, Brig. Gen. Batito even explained during visits to outposts that the background for the change was several incidents that drew criticism, including an incident in which a Palestinian using crutches was shot and another case in which two humanitarian aid truck drivers were killed near the Yellow Line.