IDF soldier demoted for shooting Gaza woman in legs

An Israel Defense Forces infantryman serving in the Givati Brigades was demoted and placed on probation for firing at an unarmed Palestinian woman in contravention of orders issued by his superiors.

The shooting incident occurred near the ruins of the former Israeli settlement of Netzarim in January during the IDF's three-week long offensive in the Gaza Strip. The soldier fired at the legs of a Palestinian woman and wounded her despite instructions from his commanders to fire warning shots at the ground.

A group of Palestinian civilians that apparently sought to return to their homes which they abandoned upon the IDF's ground entry into Gaza approached a makeshift IDF post which was manned jointly by soldiers from the Armored Corps and Givati.

The force's commander ordered the soldiers to fire shots in the air so as to prevent the Palestinians from reaching the army's artillery encampment. The Palestinians, though, continued to approach, prompting the troops to fire warning shots at the ground.

An internal probe launched by Givati revealed that one of the soldiers ignored the instructions and took it upon himself to shoot at the feet of the Palestinian woman at the front of the group. The woman was wounded as a result of the shooting.