Fact check: Were IDF soldiers commanded to kill Gazan civilians? Are the video testimonies real or fake?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provide substantial evidence supporting claims that IDF soldiers were commanded to kill Gazan civilians, with multiple sources documenting soldier testimonies and verified incidents.

Direct soldier testimonies confirm systematic targeting:

• Israeli soldiers have provided testimonies asserting they were ordered to shoot at unarmed civilians near aid distribution sites, describing these locations as a "killing field" ^{[1] [2]}
• Six Israeli soldiers who participated in the Gaza ground war testified they would "shoot at will, kill civilians for fun, burn houses, and consider every man between 16 and 50 years old a 'terrorist'" ^[3]
• Soldiers described receiving orders to fire at crowds at aid distribution centers ^[1]

Video and photographic evidence verified:

• Over 120 photos and videos from the Gaza war have been verified, showing soldiers engaging in battlefield excesses including "blowing up or setting fire to buildings, occupying destroyed buildings, and posing for pictures with stolen undergarments" ^[4]
• These verified materials support the authenticity of video testimonies documenting war crimes ^[4]

Documented casualties at aid sites:

• The U.N. human rights office has recorded 613 killings near aid distribution sites ^[5]
• The Israeli military has acknowledged that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution centers and that incidents are under review ^[6]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Israeli military's official position:

• The Israeli military denies allegations of deliberate fire at civilians and claims to be investigating "reports of harm to civilians" ^[7]
• Israeli forces state they have fired "warning shots towards people approaching its forces" rather than deliberately targeting civilians ^[8]
• Israel has questioned the Gaza Health Ministry's casualty tolls ^[8]

Operational context:

• A UN official has stated that the US-backed aid operation in Gaza is "inherently unsafe" and "killing people," suggesting systemic issues beyond individual soldier actions ^[6]
• The ongoing nature of the conflict means investigations and accountability measures are still developing ^[6]

Beneficiaries of different narratives:

• Israeli government and military leadership benefit from maintaining the narrative that civilian casualties are unintentional or result from Hamas tactics
• International human rights organizations and Palestinian advocacy groups benefit from documented evidence of systematic targeting to support war crimes allegations
• Media outlets benefit from exclusive access to soldier testimonies and verified footage, particularly outlets like Haaretz that have published direct quotes from unnamed IDF soldiers ^[2]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears relatively neutral in its framing, asking for verification rather than making definitive claims. However, there are some considerations:

Potential bias toward skepticism:

• By questioning whether video testimonies are "real or fake," the question may reflect skepticism that could benefit those seeking to dismiss documented evidence
• The framing suggests doubt about the authenticity of testimonies that have been corroborated by multiple independent sources ^{[1] [4] [3]}

Missing acknowledgment of verification:

• The question doesn't acknowledge that substantial verification work has already been conducted, with over 120 photos and videos confirmed as authentic ^[4]
• Multiple independent soldier testimonies from different sources provide corroborating evidence ^{[3] [2]}

Lack of context about scale:

• The question doesn't reference the documented scale of civilian casualties, with over 55,000 Palestinians killed according to Gaza health officials ^[8] and 613 specific killings recorded at aid sites by the U.N. ^[5]