Hamas has been looting humanitarian aid and opening fire on civilians trying to access it, Maj. A., commander of the support company in the Shimshon Battalion of the Kfir Brigade, told Walla on Thursday as he concluded his post.
He said his soldiers have treated civilians wounded by Hamas gunfire and accused the terror group of hijacking aid intended for Gaza’s population.
“We’ve seen Hamas loot and fire at civilians who tried to approach,” he said. “We see and hear that Hamas is taking control of the aid that is supposed to reach the civilians. We’ve treated civilians who were wounded by Hamas gunfire.”
Maj. A. has spent the past year operating in the al-Far’a and Tubas refugee camps in the northern West Bank, as well as in Beit Hanun for three months, just before the January hostage deal.
“In my view, the fighting is more calculated than what we saw in the North; we are destroying combat infrastructure,” he said.
“There are still terrorists in the area, and in most cases, we have the upper hand. We continue with missions aimed at securing our forces and achieving our military objectives,” he said.
'Enemy hides among civilians'
He added that “the enemy hides among civilians, and we identify them. We are still on missions to secure our forces, and there are still terrorists in the southern part of the Strip. Like anything done over a long period, there’s sometimes a drop in tension, but my job as a commander is to make sure that tension doesn’t drop so we can complete the mission.”
Maj. A. concluded by praising his troops.
“They’re amazing. They don’t go home often, despite the heat and the sand. They’re there by choice and out of a true sense of mission. They’re happy to be with the company and carry out their duties with excellence. The morale among the soldiers is high. The fighters give their all, even after two years of combat, and they don’t go home. They’re there by choice. We have 100 fighters who believe in the justice of the cause, and they’re doing it with excellence.”