IDF has indicted a 'fair number' of soldiers over Gaza conduct, military legal chief reveals

At press time, the IDF had not yet clarified the volume or character of the indictments, which could range from more violent crimes, to theft, to violations of the rules of engagement. 

IDF Military Advocate General Maj.-Gen. Itay Offir revealed for the first time on Tuesday that the legal division has filed "a fair number of indictments" against IDF soldiers relating to their conduct in Gaza.

In mid-October, the IDF disclosed for the first time that it has disciplined "dozens" of soldiers for their conduct in Gaza, but Offir's statement at the Jerusalem conference of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists was the first public mention of multiple criminal indictments.

At press time, the IDF had not yet clarified the volume or character of the indictments, which could range from more violent crimes, to theft, to violations of the rules of engagement.

In addition, Offir revealed for the first time that the IDF has obtained convictions against 12 soldiers for criminal actions in the West Bank.

Once again, at press time, the IDF had not clarified the character of the convictions.

For example, it is public record that the IDF has probed or indicted some soldiers for criminal violence against Palestinians, but also against Western foreigners, including members of the media and foreign diplomats.

Next, Offir said that there were a number of additional likely indictments on the way against IDF soldiers, but which were still at the stage of pre-indictment hearings - meaning post investigation, but giving soldiers a chance to talk the IDF prosecutor down from their case before a final decision is made.

Previously, Offir had said that the IDF has opened 150 criminal investigations relating to the war, including the treatment of Palestinian detainees.

The Jerusalem Post has previously reported exclusively that there have been over 3,000 disciplinary probes and that dozens of cases relating to the war prior to 2025 have already been closed. 

The IDF has not disclosed most of the cases which were closed out of concern that international judicial bodies will misuse the information against Israelis in biased war crimes cases.

However, on August 19, the IDF did issue an extensive report on its treatment of five high profile cases, some of which have moved closer to potential indictments, while some of which were closed, with detailed explanations of the reasons why.

'NAZA' documentary is 'divorced from reality,' Offir says

At the conference Offir also addressed claims of genocide against Israel made by the NAZA documentary.

He said, "I can say this depiction is divorced from reality... The film inverts everything. NAZA is an acronym for collateral damage – the estimated harm to civilians. The whole point of making that estimate is to mitigate expected harm to civilians."

Moreover, he added that NAZA is an analytical tool "used by law abiding militaries across the world: whether a strike is lawful, whether to change plans or cancel plans - as happened many times in this war. The film presents it as indifference. If the army was indifferent, it would not count [what the potential harm is to civilians], it would just strike."