But in the ITV Exposure film, a conscript infantry soldier named only “Yaakov” said the destruction is so widespread that they have “destroyed a society”.

“All mosques, almost all hospitals, almost all universities, every cultural institution has been destroyed,” he added grimly. “You’ve destroyed a society. You don’t have to kill them one by one to destroy every sign of the society that once existed there.”

He described his company using two Palestinians, including a 16-year-old boy, as human shields.

When the soldiers protested, he said they were told by their commander: “Soldiers don’t have to worry about international law, just about the ‘IDF spirit’.”

Daniel, a tank unit commander, said the use of human shields is widespread.

“It is called the ‘Mosquito Protocol’. It entails a method, a process by which a Palestinian is turned into a so-called agent. It’s designed exclusively for working in tunnels and is something that has been proven very, very useful,” he added.