JERUSALEM

Israeli soldiers in Gaza have received orders from their commanders to burn Palestinian homes and everything in Gaza, the Haaretz newspaper reported Thursday.

It said the homes being set on fire are chosen based on intelligence information, according to commanders who spoke to the newspaper.

Haaretz quoted three commanders who are leading the fight in Gaza who confirmed that burning homes in Gaza has become a "common practice."

The practice was applied to specific cases but later turned into common practice with the continuation of the war, said Haaretz.

Israeli soldiers posted on social media in recent weeks videos of them taking part in setting fire to homes while celebrating and others dedicating the arson to soldiers who have died in battles in Gaza.

One soldier wrote a letter that was posted on social media to other soldiers who are expected to go to a home he is in. He told them that he did not burn it, but left it to them to enjoy partaking in the arson. "We are not burning the house so you can enjoy it, and when you leave—you'll know what to do," the letter said, according to Haaretz.

"Setting fire to homes belonging to non-combatant civilians, for the mere purpose of punishment, is forbidden under international law," said the newspaper.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing at least 27,019 Palestinians and injuring 66,139. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara