Samy Cohen is a professor of political science at Sciences Po Paris and research director at the Center for International Studies (CERI). An expert on Israeli society, he is the author of Tuer ou laisser vivre. Israël et la morale de la guerre ("To Kill or Let Live: Israel and the Morality of War").

What do the daily newspaper Haaretz's revelations about the orders soldiers were given to fire on Palestinians who had gathered to receive humanitarian aid signify for you?

This exposes a deeper phenomenon that has been visible since the day after October 7. The general staff has granted considerable autonomy to unit, division, brigade and battalion commanders regarding when to open fire. Previously, the rules of engagement were strict and, if civilians were present near enemy combatants, required approval from a relatively high level. Before October 7, if a residential building had to be destroyed, prior authorization from the chief of the general staff of the army was required. Today, a local commander can request air support and have an entire building demolished if they judge that their troops are threatened, without referring the matter to the top levels of command.

The rules laid out by the general staff are clear and precise, drafted under the supervision of the military prosecutor general and conveyed orally. However, most of the time, unit commanders do as they wish. They see protecting their soldiers as the absolute priority. Thus, some commanders in certain so-called "sterile" zones have decided, on their own, that anyone who enters should be killed without warning, which violates international law and the army's ethical code.

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