Tel aviv: The Israeli army 'kills first, then thinks and tries to find a reason' afterward to justify strikes on the Gaza Strip, said the executive director of Israeli veterans' group Breaking the Silence. In an interview with France 24, Nadav Weiman stated that the army and Israeli authorities seek to 'retrospectively' legitimize attacks by attempting to establish links between victims and Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad after strikes have taken place.
According to Anadolu Agency, Weiman explained in detail how in incidents like the attack on Nasser Hospital or the killing of 15 paramedics by the IDF in Rafah, the Israeli military attempts to justify its actions to the international community. He described a process where intelligence personnel compile the names of those killed and then search for evidence that can establish a connection, such as a relative linked to Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
Weiman questioned the ability of the military to identify targets in advance, particularly in the Nasser Hospital attack, where a second shell caused significant casualties. He suggested that the military's approach is to first engage in strikes and then retrospectively build a case to justify the actions. He further cited the 2018 Gaza border protests, where over 200 Palestinians were killed, as an example of this practice.
Breaking the Silence has received testimonies from soldiers involved in the current conflict, who indicate that all individuals killed are listed as terrorists regardless of their civilian status. Weiman criticized the internal investigations conducted by the Israeli army, claiming they seldom lead to accountability or meaningful consequences.
He emphasized the need for investigations to focus on policy and the commands considered legitimate by the Israeli state and military. Despite a ceasefire effective since October 2025, violations have continued, resulting in significant casualties among Palestinians, predominantly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.