'I Did It for the Money, Then for Revenge': The Israelis Profiting From Razing Buildings in Gaza
The Israeli army and Defense Ministry are seeking professional excavator operators to demolish homes in Gaza. While some contractors are drawn by lucrative offers, others are deterred by the deadly risks
Jul 28, 2025
"You want to go into Gaza? I'll take you in tomorrow. I'll buy you your equipment – just come," said Ronen (not his real name), a heavy-equipment operator I phoned after hearing that he was looking for people to work in the Gaza Strip. "A lot of people have equipment that's been rented out, and they're looking for somebody to operate it. Thank God there's still a lot of work there."
Ronen is excited about the potential profits. "You want to invest some money? Take 700,000 shekels [$210,000] and buy an excavator. You'll make 4,000 shekels a day. The army pays equipment owners 5,000 a day. They give 1,000 to the operator, and they keep the rest. If they don't find a civilian, they'll put a soldier there instead. A soldier will go wherever he's sent. And there's no shortage of places to raze houses."
But anyone looking to understand why heavy-equipment operators might not want to take up the offer will find it in the death of Master Sgt. (res.) Abraham Azulay, a heavy-equipment operator who was killed on July 9 in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza after an attempted abduction.
Still, on social media you can find videos on the joys of demolishing buildings in Gaza, a complement to the footage of...
haaretz.com
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