“In practice, a terrorist is anyone the IDF has killed in the areas in which its forces operate,” says a reserve officer who has served in Gaza.

The army’s figures are no secret. On the contrary, over time they have become a source of pride, perhaps the closest thing to a “victory image” Israel has achieved since the war began. But this image, says a senior officer in Southern Command who is very familiar with the issue, is not quite authentic.

“It’s astonishing to hear the reports after every operation, regarding how many terrorists were killed,” he says, explaining: “You don’t need to be a genius to realize that you don’t have hundreds or dozens of armed men running through the streets of Khan Yunis or Jabaliya, fighting the IDF.”

To a large extent, the tragedy in which three hostages were killed by the IDF is such a story, since in fleeing from their captors the three entered a kill zone in the middle of the Shujaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza City.

“Battalion 17 was protecting a southern logistical evacuation route used by the division,” said brigade commander Col. Israel Friedler, who was in charge of the force, during an investigation of the incident. “The range of vision and the kill zone were close to our forces,” he said. The end is known, as is the fact that procedures were not followed. Subsequently, procedures were tightened.