The New Dark Age

An Israeli “soldier” from the occupation forces’ Nahal Battalion 50 shot and killed an elderly Palestinian woman he was evacuating from a combat zone in southern Gaza in the summer of 2024, according to the Israeli outlet Ha-Makom. The investigation reported that the “soldier” received a phone call from his commanding officer while he was driving the woman to safety, shortly before the shooting.

The war crime took place in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. “The fighters searched neighbourhood after neighbourhood, house after house, after the IDF ordered hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate the area,” Ha-Makom reported on September 14.

“The houses they occupied were empty. Whoever could, fled for their lives towards the humanitarian area. But not everyone succeeded.

“One day, while on their way to bring equipment and supplies to the battalion, they encountered an elderly Palestinian woman who had remained alone in the area. She was sick and weak and posed no danger to anyone. The decision was made to evacuate her from there.”

In a recurring pattern that has been reported numerous times by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Israelis decided to execute the elderly woman, who, in their own words, posed no danger whatsoever.

The war criminals of the Nahal Battalion placed the woman in a Humvee that was part of a logistical convoy transporting equipment that day. She was blindfolded and restrained as she travelled with three soldiers in the vehicle.

According to testimonies collected by Ha-Makom, the convoy was halfway to its destination when one of the officers received a phone call. The officer then stopped the vehicle, removed the woman, shot her dead, and continued with the convoy. Two “soldiers” under the officer’s command witnessed the incident and were reportedly stunned by it. The officer told them, “Orders from Lasri.”

“This is the execution of an elderly woman who needed to be evacuated. This is as brutal as it gets,” a “soldier” familiar with the details of the case told the outlet.

“It’s not destroying a house, it’s not even using a human shield, because you can say that you are protecting your life that way. It’s not a case that you can explain in any way. In every atrocity committed by the IDF, there is usually some organising logic or tactical or strategic explanation. There is no way to justify such an act.”

Planned execution and a promotion

Based on the testimonies it collected, Ha-Makom reported that the shooting of the elderly woman was not a “mistake” and not a “failure.” It was a planned shooting directed from “above” — ordered by the deputy battalion commander

Moreover, those responsible for the elderly woman’s execution have continued to flourish professionally:

A short time after the incident, the shooting officer was promoted, and he is still serving in the IDF today. Lasri ended his tenure as deputy battalion commander in summer 2024, a short time after the incident and without being linked to it. After ending his tenure as deputy battalion commander, he was sent to a battalion commanders’ course and a senior command and staff course, and was also sent to study at an academic institution at the army’s expense.

Last January, Lasri shared a picture on Instagram of himself and “soldiers” under his command enjoying a holiday in Sri Lanka following their release from service.

Execution of an elderly couple

The report identified Lasri, who supposedly gave the order for the execution, as Major Menachem (Mandy) Lasri. He appears to be fond of abusing and killing elderly Palestinians. From the Ha-Makom report:

Lasri is also the officer who tied an explosive belt to the neck of an elderly Palestinian man in his 80s and forced him to serve as a human shield, while threatening that he would blow his head off.

It added that the elderly man and his wife were subsequently shot dead by another group of Israelis soon after they were let go by Lasri and his men. They were on their way to a humanitarian area when they were killed. “The couple managed to walk barely 100 metres before soldiers from another battalion shot them dead,” the report revealed.

More than 18 months after the cold-blooded execution of the elderly couple, no “soldier” is known to have been summoned for questioning.

How Israelis used two elderly Palestinians as human shields — then executed them

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No one knows anything

When Ha-Makom reached out to the culprits and the terrorist Israeli military, the responses were typical.

The shooting officer said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lasri said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The IDF spokesperson said, “The allegations raised against the officer are not known to the IDF and will be examined.”

This case is a stark encapsulation of the Israeli military’s conduct towards Palestinians: occupation forces routinely commit massacres, carry out summary executions, and deliberately attack civilians, with little fear of prosecution, let alone of punishment. On the contrary, those responsible are often promoted and celebrated.