Ex Israeli army commander admits over 200,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza

A former Israeli general has said that the military has killed or wounded over 20o,000 Palestinians in its onslaught on Gaza, and that 'not once' during the genocide has the army been constrained by legal advice.

Herzi Halevi, who retired in March after leading the Israeli army for the first 17 months of its onslaught on Gaza, admitted during a community meeting in southern Israel earlier this week that "more than 200,000 people" have been killed or wounded by Israeli forces since October 2023.

The figure resembles estimates by Gaza's health ministry, which Israel has dismissed, despite being considered accurate by international NGOs.

“This isn’t a gentle war. We took the gloves off from the first minute. Sadly not earlier,” Halevi said, in a recording published by Israeli Ynet news website.

Halevi insisted that the Israeli army abides by international humanitarian law, but admitted that "not once" had any legal advice restricted his actions.

“There are legal advisers who say: We will know how to defend this legally in the world, and this is very important for the state of Israel,” Halevi said in comments carried by Ynet.