21 February 2024; MEMO: In a message to the Israeli army, IDF Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, instructed them “not to film revenge videos” after footage was used as evidence in the case against the Israeli regime for genocide before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
According to the Times of Israel, Halevi addressed the accusations levelled against Israel at the ICJ, regarding allegations of genocide and apartheid, stating, “We are not killing, taking revenge or committing genocide. We have come to win and defeat a cruel enemy, who deserves a bitter loss.”
The Chief of Staff added, “We have been fighting for four months, and we still have a long way to go.”
Moreover, he claimed the fighting is “a long and just war. Every move is very important; every local achievement is part of achieving the goals of the war. Do it with determination and professionalism.”
“We act like human beings and, unlike our enemy, maintain our humanity. We must be careful not to use force where it is not required, to distinguish between a terrorist and those who are not, not to take anything that is not ours – a souvenir or weapons – and not to film revenge videos,” Halevi further stated.
Halevi caused a storm in the “Israeli political establishment” last month when he announced the formation of an external investigation committee, chaired by former Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation army, Shaul Mofaz. Following severe criticism, Halevi decided to suspend the work of this committee.
Halevi has come under criticism for investigating the army’s conduct at a time of war, with many demanding such probes be carried out only once the war is over.
Since 7 October, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties, most of whom are children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and a noticeable deterioration in infrastructure and properties, according to Palestinian and international data. This has led to Israel facing charges of violations of the Genocide Convention before the ICJ.
