“You Can Do Anything”: ITV’s Breaking Ranks Reveals Israeli Soldiers’ Testimonies on Gaza

Overview

The ITV documentary Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War gathers on-camera testimony from current and former Israeli soldiers who describe operations in Gaza that they say involved indiscriminate firing, widespread destruction, the systematic use of civilians as human shields, and the tactical use of drones. The film, broadcast on UK network ITV, combines first-person accounts with context on casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

Graphic testimony and rules of engagement

About 30 minutes into the film, a soldier credited only as Eli describes Gaza after months of fighting as "terrible heat, sand, stench," and an apocalyptic landscape where dogs "eat dead bodies." His face is obscured in the film. Other participants offer starker operational details: commanders and conscripts alike speak about relaxed firing constraints, policies that disregard traditional criteria for identifying combatants, and a climate that, they say, normalises extreme measures.

"People don’t think about it. Because if you do think about it, you’ll want to kill yourself," Eli says. "When you take a moment to try and think about it, you want to scream."

Allegations and named practices

Participants describe a so-called "mosquito protocol" in which captured Palestinians are strapped with phones and used to probe suspected hostile positions. A tank commander, credited as Daniel, estimates multiple "mosquitos" per battalion and calls the practice routine. Armoured Corps Captain Yotam Vilk explains that the usual protections—means, intent and ability to pose a threat—are often treated as nonexistent in Gaza, meaning mere suspicions of movement can be treated as grounds for lethal action.

The film includes testimony about bulldozing and deliberate destruction of civilian property. Avraham Zarbiv, a rabbinical judge living in the West Bank settlement of Beit El and subject to a war-crimes complaint at the International Criminal Court, is shown boasting of driving a bulldozer to demolish houses and posting videos he says "lift soldiers' spirits."

Human cost and infrastructure damage

The documentary cites casualty and damage figures: more than 69,000 people killed over two years of war, with Israeli intelligence reportedly estimating that 83% of those killed were civilians. It also cites UN data that up to 92% of Gaza’s housing stock has been destroyed or damaged and that at least 1.9 million people have been displaced, many repeatedly.

Accountability and official responses

Israel has repeatedly denied allegations that its forces committed war crimes and says it investigates credible claims. The film highlights a report from UK monitor Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) finding that only a small number of military investigations have led to action, including probes into the killing of paramedics. Several participants in the film say that orders and culture within units prioritised operational spirit over adherence to international law.

Reflections and aftermath

Some interviewees express shame and say they fear living with the consequences of what they did; others boast of destructive actions. A conscript identified as Yaakov sums up the altered mindset: "You feel that every day could be your last and that you can do anything." The programme raises urgent questions about the conduct of the war, civilian protection, and international accountability.

Context

The documentary also recalls the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,139 people were reported killed and roughly 250 taken captive. That attack is the backdrop to the Israeli military campaign discussed in the film.

Conclusion

Breaking Ranks brings previously private military testimonies into the public eye and presents them alongside cited casualty and damage figures. Whether these accounts will prompt independent inquiries or policy changes remains an open question, but the film adds powerful eyewitness material to international debate about conduct and accountability in the Gaza conflict.