“Uriah Force,” the latest in a long line of Israeli crimes, killings, and destruction in the Gaza Strip, is an extermination squad. Its members are settlers who have taken it upon themselves to destroy everything in Gaza, under a Talmudic Torah guise and military uniform, concealing their deep-seated hatred of everything Palestinian.
The Oria unit has been operating in the Gaza Strip for about a year, consisting of 10 to 15 engineering equipment operators. Its last location was Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, so it has been virtually wiped out, and remains so.
Regarding this force, reserve Major General David Zinni, who recently served in Gaza, says, “The members of the Oria Force may uncover tunnels, but they also dare to do extremely dangerous things.”
He added, “They brought fighters in to secure tunnels and buildings not yet approved by the Engineering Corps. A soldier accompanied the force to protect it. He recounted that in several instances, the soldiers were forced to approach tunnel openings or guard buildings that were not certain to be free of explosives or militants.”
The army recently recounted an incident involving “Uria,” saying, “Two months ago in Khan Yunis, unarmed gunmen initially arrived at the bulldozer, pulled out soldier Azoulay, seized his weapon, and killed him.”
But a commander familiar with the details denied this, saying, “The army did not tell the whole truth. No one asked how a bulldozer driver was allowed to operate in an area that had not been cleared of militants, or how someone easily reached his cabin.”
This story reflects the haphazard actions of the “Oria” force, and their infiltration among the army personnel, without knowing who was responsible for their entry and exit.
Infiltration through advertising
Israeli affairs expert Imad Awad told Safa News Agency that the “Uriah” force has been present in the army for more than a year. It consists of groups of settlers who begin their military service through contracting companies.
According to him, the problem with the “Uriah” force for the Israeli army is that these groups operate under the orders of companies that come to them for several purposes, including demolition in Gaza and logistical work to ease the burden on the army.
But “because of the ideology they embrace, some of them have participated in the killing of Palestinians and committed criminal acts against them, and they exploit these companies to serve as soldiers in the Gaza Strip, conducting their business based on the Torah-Talmudic vision they embrace,” Awad says.
From destruction to indiscriminate killing
He reports that this group has moved from destroying homes to participating in the killing and shooting of Palestinians.
Some soldiers filed complaints against the “Uriah” members, not because they were killing Palestinians, but because “they were obstructing the army’s work and their actions were putting the soldiers’ lives at risk.”
However, Oria infiltrates the army for reasons of revenge and hatred, because settlers recruit its members through a mechanism that relies on companies announcing their need for workers in the Gaza Strip, according to Awad.
“These ads are often posted in West Bank settlements, so they join, are armed, and begin operating in the Strip, committing war crimes against its residents,” he says.
From the perspective of specialist Awad, the use of settlers in the army stems from their logistical work, including moving rubble and demolishing the remaining homes. They are also used to kill Palestinians, or they volunteer to do so themselves, because they wish it to religious Zionism.
He notes that Zionists hold a very extremist ideology, noting that they constitute 12% of the military and 40% of the officer corps. They believe that through the army, they can change the face of Israel, control it, take revenge, and apply their ideological dimension against the Palestinians.
Since October 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing a war of genocide and a crime of starvation, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 62,000 people, in addition to more than 156,000 injuries, and more than 14,000 missing under the rubble.
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