News- Middle East: Israeli soldiers launched an arson spree by torching civilian homes and infrastructure in the immediate aftermath of signing a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

According to a report by Drop Site News, Israeli troops set fire to food supplies, homes, and a critical sewage plant in Gaza City on the night of October 9 and early morning of October 10.

The report identified members of the Israeli army originating from several different brigades who posted dozens of photos and videos of buildings engulfed in flames during their withdrawal from Gaza City to the “yellow line” defined in the agreement, still deep within Gaza’s territory.

On Sunday, an Israeli soldier from the Kfir Brigade posted a photo showing himself standing in front of a set of burning wooden pallets.

“On Friday, just before departure. Burning food so that it won’t reach the Gazans, may their names be erased,” the caption reads.

Israeli troops also shared photos of torched houses in other locations, accompanied by captions musing about the arson. One soldier dubbed the burning of several buildings the “finishing touches.”

The houses of Palestinians going up in flames also became the canvas on top of which soldiers shared their views on the future of Israeli presence in Gaza, with some expressing relief about leaving: “Goodbye and never to be seen again to [what was] my home recently.”

Others vowed to return, even mimicking a review of a hotel or Airbnb. “It was brief but high quality [stay], we shall come back,” wrote one Israeli arsonist.

The aftermath of the mass arson was also documented by local residents upon returning to the area. The homes that were burned had been some of the only ones remaining, left intact because they were used as military staging areas.

Before withdrawing, soldiers also torched the Sheikh Ajlin Sewage Treatment Station, which is critical for Gaza City's sanitation network.

In social media posts, soldiers posed in front of the burning plant; one caption read "[One] last memory".

Monther Shoblaq, Director General of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) in Gaza, said the attack could push the city's wastewater system "to point zero."

He warned that the destruction of the plant could delay reconstruction efforts by years.

“I mean, they signed a ceasefire,” Shoblaq said. “Why set it on fire?”

The destruction of Palestinian structures following the departure of soldiers who had used them as temporary bases has been a hallmark of Israel’s approach to Gaza for two years.

However, the scale of the most recent arson was more extensive than any previous spree conducted by Israeli soldiers that had been documented since October 2023.

In July, Israeli reporter Yuval Abraham collected testimonies from soldiers describing a myriad of arson methods.

“Every Arab house we entered had olive oil [...] We poured the oil on the sofas, on anything flammable in the apartment, and then we ignited [it] or threw in a smoke grenade. This was a common practice,” one of them described.

The ceasefire came after months of a concerted effort to render Gaza uninhabitable by destroying residences and civilian infrastructure, culminating in the ground invasion of Gaza City and the leveling of several high rises across the region.

In September, Israeli regime minister Gila Gamliel told Channel 7 News, “We have already completely annihilated 75% of the entire [Gaza] Strip.”

Israeli bombing has damaged or destroyed an estimated 80% of Gaza's structures since the brutal Israeli aggression started two years ago.

Source: Press TV