Israel soldier handed 10 days' jail sentence after TikTok video shows him firing gun into besieged Gaza

Israel soldier handed 10 days' jail sentence after TikTok video shows him firing gun into besieged Gaza
The video depicts the Israeli soldier firing his rifle above the fence Israel has installed around Gaza.
1 min read
25 January, 2022
Israel maintains a crushing blockade against Palestine's Gaza Strip [AFP/Getty-file photo]

A 10-day military jail term was handed to an Israeli soldier filmed firing his rifle into the Gaza Strip.

The video, which was shared on TikTok, shows the soldier shooting above a fence Israel has installed around the besieged Palestinian territory, The Times of Israel reported. The wall effectively severs Gaza from contact with the outside world.

The crushing siege on Gaza has seen shortages of medicine, building materials, and other essential supplies, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Senior Israeli military officials determined the shooting was not in compliance with Israel's open-fire rules.

"The soldier’s behaviour in the video does not conform with the norms expected of soldiers and commanders," according to the Israeli army.

Israel maintains a crushing blockade against the Gaza Strip, where last May it launched a deadly 11-day bombing campaign.

This killed more than 260 Palestinians in Gaza, while rockets launched from the Strip killed 13 in Israel.

Israel regularly raids Gaza farmland and fires on Palestinian fishing boats in waters off the besieged enclave, sometimes with deadly consequences for the fishermen.