Israel closes 25 investigations into looting committed by its soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon

The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot revealed on Monday that the Israeli army has closed 25 out of 27 investigations it opened into looting committed by its soldiers during the Gaza war and the war in Lebanon.

Since the start of the war, Israeli media outlets have published testimonies from soldiers about widespread looting on the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon fronts.

The newspaper stated, “At the end of April, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir addressed the phenomenon of looting in the Israeli army.”

It quoted him as saying at the time, “If it exists, it is shameful and could tarnish the reputation of the entire Israeli army. If such incidents occur, we will investigate them.”

It added, “He also instructed battalion commanders to submit a detailed report on the situation of their units in this regard within a week. If evidence of looting crimes is found, they will be referred to the Military Police for criminal investigation.”

It noted, however, that no data has been published regarding the Military Police investigations that were opened.