29-05-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Israel Accused of Using Human Shields in Gaza, West Bank. How Common is the Practice?
DayofPal– A recent Associated Press investigation has shed light on the Israeli military's 'systematic' use of Palestinians as human shields.
The ractice is illegal under international law but reportedly widespread during the Israeli ongoing 20-month war in Gaza and simultaneous military operations in the occupied West Bank.
The AP report includes testimonies from seven Palestinians who said they were used as human shields, with two Israeli military officers confirming that the practice is widespread.
The Israeli military responded by stating that the use of civilians as shields is strictly forbidden and that several incidents are currently under investigation.
What Human Shields? How Israel Used Them?
International humanitarian law (IHL) defines human shields as civilians used, either voluntarily or involuntarily, to shield military targets from attack, a practice that is unequivocally prohibited.
Despite the ban, Israeli soldiers have allegedly used human shields regularly during Gaza genocide.
In early 2024, Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a soldier's account saying this was done 'six times a day' in his unit, and that it had become 'normalized' within the ranks.
A prior Haaretz report evealed that the Palestinians used in this way were mostly young men, sometimes held for up to a week, and were sent into tunnels or buildings, with units expressing pride in locating such detainees.
Nicola Perugini, co-author of Human Shields: A History of People in the Line of Fire, said, 'It's become part of [Israel's] military culture', citing a vast collection of documentation not only from human rights groups but also from Israeli soldiers themselves who shared content of these acts on social media with apparent impunity.
He added, 'Israeli army investigations have proven throughout the decades to be non-investigations,' pointing out that the practice, banned under Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, has been documented since the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.
'What we have now in the live-streamed genocide is the most documented archive of human shielding in the history of the different wars between Israel and the Palestinians,' he added.
'What we have discovered is precisely that it is a systematic practice.'
How Israel Responded?
The Israeli military typically either avoids commenting on allegations, demands more specifics, or opens investigations only when the evidence becomes incontrovertible.
In 2023, when Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit presented thousands of images, videos, and testimonies pointing to war crimes, including the use of human shields, Israel did not respond.
Among the documented incidents was that of Jamal Abu Al-Ola, a detainee shown in video footage dressed in a hazmat suit, his hands bound and head covered, as he told displaced persons at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis to evacuate. His mother, who followed him out, watched him being shot by a sniper.
Rodney Dixon, an expert in international law, described the case as a clear example of someone being used as a 'military asset', saying it matched the 'definition of using persons as a human shield.'
Earlier in 2024, the Israeli military resisted calls to investigate the case of an 80-year-old man allegedly forced to act as a shield in Gaza City, claiming more information was needed.
However, a joint investigation by The Hottest Place in Hell and +972 Magazine reported that this man had an explosive cord placed around his neck by an officer, who threatened to detonate it if he made a wrong move. After being forced from his home in Zeitoun, the man and his wife were later killed by another Israeli unit.
Public outrage also followed a 2023 video that showed a wounded Palestinian man, Mujahed Azmi, tied to the hood of an army jeep during a raid in Jenin, West Bank. UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese called the footage 'human shielding in action.'
The military stated that its forces had exchanged fire and apprehended a suspect, and that the actions in the video did not reflect its 'values', promising an investigation.
Still, Perugini notes that such promises are not reassuring, explaining that the ICC's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stem from doubt in Israel's willingness or ability to investigate itself.
Who Gives the Orders?
Whether the Israeli military will actively work to end the practice remains uncertain. Nevertheless, demand for accountability is increasing.
Human rights organizations argue that the use of human shields in the occupied Palestinian territories dates back decades. Breaking the Silence, an organization of former Israeli soldiers, cited a 2002 case where a major admitted using a tactic called the 'neighbor procedure.'
According to his testimony, 'You order a Palestinian to accompany you and to open the door of the house you want to enter… if the door blows up, a Palestinian will be blown up, and soldiers won't be blown up.'
Although the Israeli Supreme Court outlawed the tactic in 2005, and two soldiers were convicted in 2010 for using a 9-year-old as a shield, the practice has reportedly been normalized again, particularly since the war in Gaza began.
Haaretz cited sources who said that former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was among the senior figures aware of human shielding being used in Gaza.
The AP report also quoted an anonymous officer who said the practice was already widespread by 2004, with infantry units regularly using Palestinians to clear buildings. The phrase 'to bring a mosquito' — referring to human shields — was commonly used over radio communication.
Another anonymous Israeli sergeant told the AP that when his unit tried to refuse orders to use human shields in Gaza in 2024, they were told they had no choice, and a high-ranking officer allegedly told them to ignore international humanitarian law.
In response, the Israeli army told The Jerusalem Post that it would investigate 'if further details are provided.' It noted that its Military Police Criminal Investigation Division had already launched probes into several incidents, but 'no further details can be provided at this time.'
In March, Haaretz reported that six cases were under investigation following a Red Cross report highlighting the abuses.
With more than 54,000 Palestinians killed so far and mounting evidence that human shielding is a systematic part of Israeli military operations, pressure is growing for accountability.
As Perugini concluded, 'When you are in a genocide, then human shielding becomes a tool for something else. It becomes part of a different kind of crime, of the crime of crimes.'
Shortlink for this post:
