WSJ: Reservist says troops fired on aid-seeking Palestinians who were carrying white flags

Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center operated by the US-backed organization in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, June 26, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center operated by the US-backed organization in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, June 26, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An Israeli reservist tells the Wall Street Journal that soldiers fired at aid-seeking Palestinians who veered off approved paths even though some of them were carrying white flags.

The testimony from the unnamed reservist comes amid repeated instances of troops opening fire on Palestinians near aid sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

“We have an unwritten rule that if you are worried and they get too close and you see that it could be something that puts you and your team at risk, you don’t take that risk,” he tells the WSJ.

The report quotes the soldier as saying that the troops warned the Palestinians not to come close to the military positions, but they were ignored.

He says if the Palestinians cross a red line, the soldiers open fire, with instructions to shoot in the air or at their legs.

This specific incident occurred in mid-June, the reservist says

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