General Sir John McColl is the former deputy supreme allied commander of NATO. He was one of the delegates taking part in ELNET’s former military experts delegation in September 2024. In the article below, he reflects on his experiences whilst in Israel.
The pictures of horror are seared into our minds. The stories are part of our shared history. October 7, a brutal massacre of Israeli citizens, led by the Hamas terrorist organisation. And since then, an unremitting war between Israel and Hamas’s forces in the densely populated territory of Gaza.
Expressions of support and sympathy for Israel have rapidly turned into widespread criticism, including from allies. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are accused of the reckless use of force and the murder of civilians, while international organisations have expressed concern about inadequate flows of aid.
Last week I visited Israel with a team of military experts from six Nato countries to see for myself. As a career officer, I served for 38 years in the British Army and have been in combat in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan, and I was deputy supreme allied commander of Nato.
I have seen war and know how difficult it can be to minimise civilian casualties. But I also know how hard we worked to do just that with our soldiers’ clear rules of engagement. Mistakes were made, but thankfully they were few and far between.
Basing my views about the Israel-Hamas war on UK media coverage, I arrived in Israel critical and sceptical of their military operations.