Israeli snipers from a secretive “Ghost Unit” admitted to deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including the killing of four members of the Doghmush family in November 2023, according to confessions uncovered in a five-month international investigation.
The probe, conducted by the Guardian in collaboration with the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), Paper Trail Media, Der Spiegel, and ZDF, confirmed that Israeli forces killed civilians on November 22, 2023, in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood.
Eyewitness accounts, medical records, death certificates, and geolocated video evidence all corroborated the findings.
Among the key revelations was the testimony of Daniel Raab, a US-born sniper who grew up in Illinois before joining Israel’s military Ghost Unit, known in Hebrew as “Refaim.”
In an interview shared on social media by Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi, Raab admitted to executing 19-year-old Salem Doghmush, who was unarmed and attempting to retrieve the body of his slain brother, Mohammed.
'Was the corpse really that important?'
“That was my first execution,” Raab said after being shown drone footage of Salem collapsing.
Asked why he fired, Raab acknowledged Salem was unarmed but dismissed the act: “Honestly, I don’t care. Was the corpse really that important?”
Raab further claimed his unit killed 105 people during its deployment, calling the figure “impressive.”
He described how civilians believed they were safe in ordinary clothes, only to be proven wrong: “That’s what snipers are for.”
Doghmush family targeted one by one
According to survivors, Mohammed Doghmush was shot first. His brother Salem was then killed while trying to recover his body.
Their father, Muntasir, was gunned down as he approached his sons.
Cousin Khalil was struck and gravely wounded while attempting to help. The family, fearing further losses, was forced to leave the bodies in the street until a cease-fire on November 24 allowed for their burial—despite international law guaranteeing the right to retrieve and bury the dead.
Raab also admitted his team targeted other civilians near Barcelona Garden Park, including a distant relative of the Doghmush family, Mohammed Farid.
Ghost Unit operations under scrutiny
Raab and fellow sniper Daniel Graetz, a German national, are part of the Ghost Unit, an 11-member sniper team comprising foreign nationals—three from the US, two from France, and others from Belgium, Germany, South Africa, Italy, Ethiopia, and Azerbaijan.
Many members hold dual citizenship.
Photos and videos of the unit’s operations have triggered legal complaints in Belgium and France, where human rights groups have urged prosecutors to open war crimes investigations.
The revelations have intensified calls for accountability, with rights advocates arguing the evidence shows deliberate violations of international humanitarian law and potential war crimes.
Ongoing genocide by Israel
The Israeli army has pressed ahead with its relentless assault on Gaza, killing more than 64,600 Palestinians since October 2023. The offensive has left the enclave in ruins and pushed its population to the brink of famine.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel is also standing trial at the International Court of Justice, where it faces accusations of committing genocide in its war on Gaza.
