The controversy over the killing a few days ago of a 13-year-old Arab girl - apparently a terrorist decoy - continues. IDF Chief Prosecutor Brig.-Gen. Avi Mandelblit has ordered an investigation into the case, following accusations by soldiers that their platoon commander fired a burst of bullets into the girl's already-dead body. However, two soldiers in the platoon have now come forward in their commander's defense.
One of the soldiers told Maariv,
For several weeks now, we have been in a state of high alert due to warnings of infiltration attempts. Only two weeks ago, three of our friends were killed in Morag. With death suddenly arriving at our doorstep, we were extremely tense. We knew the terrorists were coming, we just weren't sure when. On the day in question, we spotted a child just over 100 meters from our post. At first we thought she was a terrorist, not a girl; we were sure the moment had arrived, that which we had been talking about all along. We immediately knew what we had to do: to open fire. We all opened fire.
After we fired, the platoon commander went out to make sure she was dead. He fired only two bullets at her from a relatively distant point, fearing she was wearing a bomb belt. He then headed back to the outpost, but suddenly turned around and fired a long burst. I saw where the body was, and in which direction he fired. It wasn't even close [to the girl]. He fired towards Rafiah, in response to a burst of fire...
The soldiers who turned to the media tried to frame him, because he was a tough commander and often handed out harsh punishments. The veteran soldiers were angry with him. I also was tempted to say he had done it, but that's not the way. It would be a despicable thing to do," the soldier said.
A second soldier in the platoon confirmed that the soldiers who accused their commander had ulterior motives.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon told the Cabinet this week that the girl had been dispatched by terrorists as a decoy in order to draw out soldiers and turn them into targets for terrorist snipers. Yaalon explained that the girl was in a closed military area. In addition, the girl reportedly threw a bag at them - a suspicious move, under the circumstances, even though the bag was later found to contain only schoolbooks and no explosives.
One of the soldiers told Maariv,
For several weeks now, we have been in a state of high alert due to warnings of infiltration attempts. Only two weeks ago, three of our friends were killed in Morag. With death suddenly arriving at our doorstep, we were extremely tense. We knew the terrorists were coming, we just weren't sure when. On the day in question, we spotted a child just over 100 meters from our post. At first we thought she was a terrorist, not a girl; we were sure the moment had arrived, that which we had been talking about all along. We immediately knew what we had to do: to open fire. We all opened fire.
After we fired, the platoon commander went out to make sure she was dead. He fired only two bullets at her from a relatively distant point, fearing she was wearing a bomb belt. He then headed back to the outpost, but suddenly turned around and fired a long burst. I saw where the body was, and in which direction he fired. It wasn't even close [to the girl]. He fired towards Rafiah, in response to a burst of fire...
The soldiers who turned to the media tried to frame him, because he was a tough commander and often handed out harsh punishments. The veteran soldiers were angry with him. I also was tempted to say he had done it, but that's not the way. It would be a despicable thing to do," the soldier said.
A second soldier in the platoon confirmed that the soldiers who accused their commander had ulterior motives.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon told the Cabinet this week that the girl had been dispatched by terrorists as a decoy in order to draw out soldiers and turn them into targets for terrorist snipers. Yaalon explained that the girl was in a closed military area. In addition, the girl reportedly threw a bag at them - a suspicious move, under the circumstances, even though the bag was later found to contain only schoolbooks and no explosives.