Israeli soldier sentenced to 20 days after firing at Gazans celebrating New Year’s Eve

An Israeli soldier has been sentenced to 20 days in military prison after videos circulated online showing him firing a weapon toward Palestinians in Gaza during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The footage shows the unnamed member of the Israel army discharging what appears to be a machine gun in the direction of Gaza, where Palestinians were marking the start of the new year.

An Israeli military spokesman claimed the soldier was “firing towards an open area and not at civilian homes in Gaza.”

In a post on X, the spokesman added: “Still unprofessional and not in accordance with our orders.”

The incident comes amid Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, launched following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which killed more than 1,000 people in Israel.

Since the start of the conflict, Israeli soldiers have repeatedly been documented in incidents involving the killing of Palestinian civilians. The Israeli military has consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing.

Human rights organizations and the United Nations have accused Israel of committing possible war crimes in Gaza, with some critics going further to describe the campaign as genocide, claims Israel strongly rejects.