IDF officer who ordered to shoot Gazans carrying white flag promoted to battalion commander

06/09/2025 / By Laura Harris

An IDF officer accused of ordering troops to shoot unarmed Palestinians waving a white flag (a surrender symbol) was promoted to battalion commander.
A deputy battalion commander ignored protocol, demanding lethal force against surrendering Palestinians, even stating, “I don’t know what a white flag is. Shoot to kill.” Another officer who refused the order was reprimanded as a “coward.”
Israel has loosened rules of engagement, deliberately striking schools, hospitals and shelters, leading to mass civilian casualties. The IDF has also used Palestinians as human shields, despite international condemnation.
The IDF praised the accused officer as “esteemed” while downplaying investigations. Meanwhile, whistleblowers and evidence (e.g., drone footage, soldier testimonies) are ignored.
Human rights groups and media investigations (e.g., The Guardian, AP) confirm systematic violations of international law, but Israel continues to justify its actions with impunity.

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer accused of ordering troops to shoot two unarmed Palestinians waving a white flag has been promoted to battalion commander.

In December 2024, IDF soldier Haim Har-Zahav wrote in an op-ed article written for Haaretz that a deputy battalion commander issued a “shoot-to-kill” order against two Palestinians attempting to flee along the Netzarim corridor in Gaza. The two Palestinians were spotted by an Israeli drone carrying a white flag – a universal symbol of surrender.

According to soldiers present during radio communications, the officer, a major in the reserves, ignored protocol and demanded lethal force. Another officer intervened, countermanding the order and warning that the men could be Israeli hostages. The deputy commander reportedly responded: “I don’t know what a white flag is. Shoot to kill.” (Related: Israeli officials upset over freed hostage’s interview slamming government failures.)

When the countermanding officer refused, the deputy commander then requested a drone strike, which was also denied. Fortunately, the two Palestinians eventually retreated unharmed.

But despite the gravity of the allegations, the IDF has yet to formally investigate the officer. The IDF even praised the accused as an “esteemed officer who has served lengthy tours of reserve duty during the war, for the sake of the country’s security.” Meanwhile, the officer who refused the order was allegedly reprimanded as a “coward” by superiors.

Israel continues to justify its war crimes despite global condemnation

Human rights groups and legal experts have been stressing that targeting surrendering civilians, using human shields and bombing protected facilities constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions. However, Israel continues to justify its actions with little verifiable evidence, while global condemnation grows.

In fact, the Israeli military has reportedly loosened operational rules of engagement, authorizing strikes on civilian infrastructure – including schools, hospitals and municipal buildings – even when only low-ranking militants are suspected to be present. This shift has led to disproportionately high civilian casualties.

The Guardian has documented that the Israeli army has intentionally marked multiple schools in Gaza as future targets, including Halawa, Al-Rafaai, Nusiba and Halima Sadia near Jabaliya. On May 25, an Israeli airstrike on the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school killed at least 54 displaced people, including children, as they slept. Survivors described classrooms engulfed in flames, with charred bodies recovered hours later.

Meanwhile, an Associated Press investigation revealed that Israeli soldiers have systematically forced Palestinian civilians, including women and the elderly, to act as human shields in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Civilians were reportedly threatened with death unless they entered buildings and tunnels ahead of troops to clear potential threats. Whistleblower group Breaking the Silence, composed of former Israeli soldiers, provided images and testimonies confirming these practices, contradicting the claims of Israel about ethical military conduct.

All this evidence has fallen on deaf ears.

Visit WWIII.news to read more related stories about Israel’s war waged upon Middle Eastern nations.

Watch the 2001 leaked video below of Netanyahu admitting that Israel intentionally strikes Palestinians painfully.

This video is from Cynthia’s Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.