The accusation of the use of human shields is a common theme in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Both the Israel Defense Forces (IDF),[1] and Palestinian militant groups[2] (including Hamas[3]) have used civilians as human shields to discourage the opposing side from attacking. Many activists have often voluntarily used themselves as human shields to stop Israeli violence against Palestinians: these include the International Solidarity Movement,[4] and Israeli leftists.[5]

Israel has been accused used human shields by forcing Palestinian civilians to expose themselves to harm by walking through suspected booby-trapped buildings. It also formerly employed the neighbor procedure" in which Palestinian civilians were forced to attempt to persuade wanted individuals to surrender themselves to the IDF.[6] The latter practice was defended by the Israeli defense ministry, but prohibited in 2005 by the Israeli Supreme Court,[7] though there have been accusations of its employment even after the ruling.[8][9]

Hamas has also been accused of using human shields strategically by NATO,[10][11] the UN,[12] EU,[13] US,[14][15] Israel, and several European countries.[16] This strategy has included launching rockets and positioning military infrastructure in civilian areas, and aimed at exploiting Israel's efforts to minimize civilian casualties and Western public opinion, has been observed in various conflicts, including the 2008, 2014, and 2023 Israel-Hamas wars. This tactic of human shields has been cited as a form of 'lawfare' by NATO, utilizing legal and public platforms to challenge adversaries,[10] and has been offered as an explanation for Israel's attacks on civilian infrastructure.[17][18][19] Human rights organizations have however found the accusations against Hamas in past conflicts to have been unfounded, with Amnesty International saying it had found no evidence of human shielding by Hamas in the 2008-2009 war and the 2014 war.

Definition

The law of armed conflict requires that warring parties distinguish between combatants and non-combatants–the former may be legitimately killed, and the latter are protected.[20][21] A human shield refers to the placement of a non-combatant in the line of fire, thus preventing the legitimate military objective from being targeted without harming the non-combatant.[20]

Use by Israeli forces

According to B'tselem, the IDF repeatedly used Palestinians as human shields. This practice became military policy during the Second Intifada, and was only dropped when Adalah challenged the practice before Israel's High Court of Justice in 2002. However, the IDF persisted in using Palestinians in its 'neighbor procedure', whereby people picked at random were made to approach the houses of suspects and persuade them to surrender, a practice which arguably placed the former's lives in danger. The court ruled in October 2005 "that any use of Palestinian civilians during military actions is forbidden, including the 'prior warning procedure'." According to B'tselem, reports indicate that the practice has continued nonetheless, in military operations like Operation Cast Lead, and Operation Protective Edge, and the "vast majority of these reports were never investigated, and those that did result in no further action".[22] Neve Gordon and Nicola Perugini, in their study of the phenomenon, note that Israeli citizens in densely populated areas like Tel Aviv are never spoken of as human shields when Hamas fires rockets towards the Israeli Defense command located in the centre of that city, whereas Palestinians in Gaza are depicted as human shields when Israel fires rockets at, or bombs, equally densely populated cities like Gaza.[23]

1948-1967

During the 1956-1957 occupation of Gaza Strip by Israel (as part of the Suez crisis), Israeli forces would search homes of suspected Palestinian fedayeen for weapons, caches or concealed fighters. Because these homes could have booby traps or snipers waiting for Israeli soldiers, they would use Palestinian children as human shields.[24]

Second Intifada

Israeli officials reported that the Israel Defense Forces made use of the "human shield" procedure on 1,200 occasions during the Second Intifada (2000–2005), and only on one occasion did a Palestinian civilian get hurt.[25] An example of this was chaining a 12-year old Palestinian boy to an Israeli armored vehicle.[25] Israeli officials stated that this procedure killed "only" one Palestinian human shield.[26]

According to human rights groups Amnesty International[27] and Human Rights Watch,[28] the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) used Palestinian civilians as human shields during the 2002 Battle of Jenin. The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said that "for a long period of time following the outbreak of the Second Intifada, particularly during Operation Defensive Shield, in April 2002, the IDF systematically used Palestinian civilians as human shields, forcing them to carry out military actions which threatened their lives".[29][30] Al Mezan reported the systematic use of human shields during the invasion of Beit Hanoun in 2004.[31] Human shields were also employed by Israeli soldiers to subdue a stone-throwing protest in Hebron in 2003.[32]

In 2002 the Supreme Court of Israel issued a temporary injunction banning the practice in the wake of the death of 19-year-old Nidal Abu Mohsen, who was shot dead when he was forced by the IDF to knock on the door of his neighbor, Hamas militant Nasser Jarrar, in the West Bank village of Tubas and inform him of the Israeli army's demands that he surrender.[25][33][34]

In 2004, a 13-year-old boy, Muhammed Badwan, was photographed tied to an Israeli police vehicle in the West Bank village of Biddu being used as a shield to deter stone-throwing protesters.[25][35] Rabbi Arik Ascherman was placed under arrest after he tried to intervene.[33]

In 2005, Israel's High Court of Justice banned the practice,[26][36] with the Israeli Defense Ministry appealing the decision.[26][37] While acknowledging and defending the "use of Palestinians to deliver warnings to wanted men about impending arrest operations", a practice known in Israel by the "neighbor procedure",[32] the IDF denied reports of "using Palestinians as human shields against attacks on IDF forces", saying it had already forbidden this practice.[36]

In 2006, however, initial investigations by B'Tselem indicated that the IDF might have used civilians as human shields in 2006 Beit Hanun.[38]

In February 2007, the footage was released of an incident involving Sameh Amira, a 24-year-old Palestinian, whom video showed serving as a human shield for a group of Israeli soldiers, getting inside apartments suspected to belong to Palestinian militants ahead of the soldiers.[39][40] A 15-year-old cousin of Amira and an 11-year-old girl in the West Bank independently told B'Tselem in February 2007 that Israeli soldiers forced each of them in separate incidents to open the door of a neighboring apartment belonging to a suspected militant, get inside ahead of them, and open doors and windows.[41]

The Israeli Army launched a criminal investigation into the incident involving Amira.[39] In April 2007, the Israeli army suspended a commander after the unit he was leading was accused of using Palestinians as human shields in a West Bank operation.[42] In April 2007, CBS News reported that, according to human rights groups, the IDF did not stop the use of human shields, but the incidence was dropping.[29][39]

2008–2009 Gaza War

During the 2008–09 Gaza War known as Operation Cast Lead, Israeli military forces were accused of continuing to use civilians as human shields by Amnesty International and Breaking the Silence.[43] According to testimonies published by these two groups, Israeli forces used unarmed Palestinians including children to protect military positions, walk in front of armed soldiers; go into buildings to check for booby traps or gunmen; and inspect suspicious objects for explosives.[43][44] Amnesty International stated that it found cases in which "Israeli troops forced Palestinians to stay in one room of their home while turning the rest of the house into a base and sniper position, effectively using the families, both adults and children, as human shields and putting them at risk".[45] The UN Human Rights Council also accused Israel of using human shields during the 2008–09 Gaza conflict.[46][47]

The Guardian compiled three videos and testimony from civilians about alleged war crimes committed by Israeli soldiers during the 2008–09 Gaza War, including the use of Palestinian children as human shields. In the videos, three teenage brothers from the al-Attar family said that they were forced at gunpoint to kneel in front of tanks to deter Hamas fighters from firing at them and that they were used to "clear" houses for the Israeli soldiers.[48]

An IDF soldier's testimony for Breaking the Silence told that his commander ordered that for every house raided by the IDF, they send a "neighbor" to go in before the soldier, sometimes while the soldier placed his gun on the neighbor's shoulder;[49] according to the soldier, "commanders said these were the instructions and we had to do it".[49] Gazan civilians also testified of being used at gunpoint as human shields by Israeli soldiers.[50] An Israeli military official responded to these allegations: "The IDF operated in accordance with the rules of war and did the utmost to minimize harm to civilians uninvolved in combat. The IDF's use of weapons conforms to international law." An Israeli embassy spokesperson alleged Hamas pressured the people of Gaza into making those accusations.[48]

On 12 March 2010, the Israel Defense Forces prosecution filed indictments against two staff sergeants of the Givati Brigade for forcing a 9-year-old Palestinian boy to open a number of bags they thought might contain explosives in January 2009. The boy told he was hit by the soldiers and forced to work for them at gunpoint.[51] The IDF said it opened the investigation after the incident was brought to its attention by the United Nations.[52] On 3 October 2010, a conviction in this matter, accompanied by a demotion and suspended sentence, was handed down by the military court against both defendants, though neither soldier was jailed.[53][54][55][56] The sentence was criticized as too lenient by Human Rights Watch[57] and the boy's mother.[51]

2009 to the 2014 Gaza War

A United Nations human rights body accused Israeli forces in June 2013 of "continuous use of Palestinian children as human shields and informants", voicing with deep concern 14 such cases had been reported between January 2010 and March 2013. It says almost all accused soldiers involved in the incidents have gone unpunished.[58]

In an interview with Breaking the Silence, a former Israeli soldier recounted that the commander of his unit employed the policy, that of forcing Palestinian civilians to enter the homes of suspected militants ahead of Israeli soldiers, despite acknowledging its ban, as the commander would rather that a Palestinian civilian be killed carrying out the duty than one of his men.[59] He told young Palestinian boys were also used by this particular unit to carry out military duties for the Israeli army.[59]

Defense for Children International-Palestine reported 17-year-old, Ahmad Abu Raida (also: "Reeda"),[60] was kidnapped by Israeli soldiers, who, after beating him up and threatening him, at times with sexual overtones,[61] used him as a human shield for five days, forcing him to walk in front of them with police dogs at gunpoint, search houses and dig in places soldiers suspected there might be tunnels.[60][62] The New York Times stated that his assertions could not be independently corroborated; the Israeli military confirmed that he had been detained, noting his father's affiliation with Hamas, who was a senior official in the Gaza Tourism Ministry.[63] No material evidence of the physical violence allegedly suffered by Raida, e.g. photos, medical reports or lingering wounds resulting from repeated blows, was produced.[64]

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor conducted an investigation during and following the military operation. The investigation found that, during the 2014 Gaza War, Israeli soldiers used Palestinian civilians as shield in Khuza'a. A family told the group that Israeli soldiers had killed the family's patriarch, a 65-year-old who was carrying a white flag, and proceeded to place family members, including children, by the house's windows and shoot from behind them.[60]

2022

In May 2022, Israeli soldiers were accused of using a 16-year old girl as a human shield during a firefight with Palestinian militants in Jenin. The girl told Defence for Children International in an interview that Israeli soldiers forced her to stand in direct line of fire for two hours even as she begged them to let her go.[65] When Amira Hass from the Ha'aretz contacted Israeli forces regarding this incident, they declined to comment on the human shield reports, simply saying they had behaved "ethically".[66][67]

A UN report stated that Israel found four examples of Israel using Palestinian children as human shields in the year 2022 (the report also accused Palestinian militants of using human shields).[68][69]

Use by Palestinian factions

As early as 2004 Amos Harel in Haaretz wrote that during the Second Intifada (2000–2005) Palestinian gunmen routinely used civilians and children as human shields and added that there is photographic evidence.[70]

On 22 November 2006, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Muhammad Wail Baroud, a military commander in the Popular Resistance Committee, of using civilians for shielding homes against military attacks but later stated that they erred. There was no evidence that the house was being used for military purposes at the time of the planned attack, nor did the IDF explain what military objective it could have had. They considered the destruction in light of Israel's longstanding policy of destroying homes as punitive measures instead of as legitimate military targets. HRW acknowledged they did not consider the motives of the civilians, such as whether they willingly assembled or not, and emphasized that it did not want to criticize non-violent resistance or any other form of peaceful protest, including civilians defending their homes.[71]

Use by Hamas

Israel has accused Hamas of using human shields in the Gaza Strip, saying that Hamas has purposely attempted to shield itself from Israeli attacks by storing weapons in civilian infrastructure, launching rockets from residential areas, and telling residents to ignore Israeli warnings to flee. Israel has also accused Hamas of maintaining command and control bunkers and tunnel infrastructure below hospitals. Hamas has denied using hospitals to shield any command center,[72] while it has previously made remarks expressing support for Palestinians refusing to flee areas Israel has targeted.[73]

The Israeli accusations have been supported by NATO,[74] and during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war EU nations condemned Hamas for using hospitals as human shields, while the UN Secretary General said "Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields".[75][76]

Amnesty International investigated claims made by Israel in the 2008–2009 Gaza War and the 2014 Gaza War that Hamas employed human shields, but found no evidence of such usage. In their report on the 2008-2009 war, Amnesty said that "contrary to repeated allegations by Israeli officials" that it had found no evidence of Hamas directing civilians to shield military assets or that it had forced civilians to remain in or near buildings used by fighters. Amnesty found that Hamas has launched rockets from near civilian locations, which it said endangered civilians and amounted to a violation of the requirement that Hamas take all necessary precautions to protect civilians from military action, but that this does not constitute shielding under international law.[10] In 2014, Amnesty said, regarding repeated allegations by Israel of Hamas using civilians as human shields, that it "does not have evidence at this point that Palestinian civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to 'shield' specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks." They also said that reports had emerged of Hamas urging residents to ignore Israeli warnings to evacuate, stating those statements “are not the same as directing specific civilians to remain in their homes as ‘human shields’ for fighters, munitions, or military equipment.”[77] Human Rights Watch also said they found no evidence that Hamas had used human shields in the 2009 conflict.[78] In 2023, HRW stated “Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups need to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians under their control from the effects of attacks and not use civilians as ‘human shields.’”[79]

According to a paper published by NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, the strategic use of human shields by groups like Hamas hinges on exploiting Israel's aim to minimize civilian casualties and the sensitivity of Western public opinion. This tactic allows Hamas to either accuse Israel of war crimes if civilian casualties occur or to protect its assets and continue operations if the IDF limits its military response. This approach is an example of 'lawfare', using legal and public platforms to challenge an adversary.[80][81] Israel has said that Hamas's actions have been responsible for civilian casualties in Gaza,[82][83] Human rights groups have said that even if Hamas were using human shields, Israel must still abide by international law to protect civilians.[77][84]

Activists as human shields

Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall, Western International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers in the Palestinian territories, who died in 2003 and 2004 respectively have been described as "human shields" campaigning against house demolition. ISM, however, strongly takes offence at the use of the term "human shield" to describe their work, preferring it be used only to refer to when armed combatants uses civilians as shields.[85]

Amnesty International has also rejected the definition of volunteer activist's actions or activist's actions for non-military property as "human shields", and regards only the direction of "specific civilians to remain in their homes as "human shields" for fighters, munitions, or military equipment" as “human shields”.[86]

In 2008, Rabbis for Human Rights stated they would act as voluntary "human shields" during the annual olive harvest to protect Palestinian villages from settlers.[87]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Schmitt 2008, pp. 35–37.
  2. ↑ Gordon & Perugini 2020, p. 170.
  3. ↑ Gordon & Perugini 2020, pp. 156–157, 165–166, 170–171, 174–176, 216.
  4. ↑ Gordon & Perugini 2020, pp. 114–116.
  5. ↑ Locating Urban Conflicts: Ethnicity, Nationalism and the Everyday. Palgrave Macmillan. 2013. ISBN 9781137316882.
  6. ↑ Otto 2004, p. 778.
  7. ↑ Schmitt 2008, pp. 35–36.
  8. ↑ Gordon 2008, p. 207, "Soldiers have ordered Palestinians to enter buildings to check if they are booby-trapped. They have instructed residents to remove suspicious objects from roads used by the military. They have made civilians stand inside houses where soldiers have set up military positions, so that Palestinians will not fire at the soldiers. And they have forced Palestinians to walk in front of soldiers to shield them from gunfire, while the soldiers hold guns behind their backs and sometimes fire over their shoulders. Although this practice was outlawed by the High Court of Justice in 2005, there have been documented incidents in which soldiers have continued using Palestinians as human shields."
  9. ↑ Pfeffer, Anshel (11 March 2010). "Two IDF Soldiers Charged With Using 9-year-old 'Human Shield' in Gaza War". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 "Hamas' use of human shields in Gaza" (PDF). NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence.
  11. ↑ James Pamment, Vladimir Sazonov, Francesca Granelli, Sean Aday, Māris Andžāns, Una Bērziņa-Čerenkova, John-Paul Gravelines, Mils Hills, Irene Martinez-Sanchez, Mariita Mattiisen, Holger Molder, Yeganeh Morakabati, Aurel Sari, Gregory Simons, Jonathan Terra, Hybrid Threats: Hamas' use of human shields in Gaza Nato Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, 5 June 2019 pp.147–169, 152
  12. ↑ "Secretary-General's press conference on the Middle East | United Nations Secretary-General". www.un.org. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "EU nations condemn Hamas for what they describe as use of hospitals, civilians as 'human shields'". AP News. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  14. ↑ Wintour, Patrick (13 October 2023). "Blinken urges Israel to avoid civilian deaths and wants safe zones in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Biden says Hamas using innocent Gazans as human shields; phones Netanyahu, PA's Abbas". Times of Israel. 15 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "Amid Increasingly Dire Humanitarian Situation in Gaza, Secretary-General Tells Security Council Hamas Attacks Cannot Justify Collective Punishment of Palestinian People – Press Release". 9451ST MEETING (AM & PM) SC/15462 24 October 2023
  17. ↑ Gordon & Perugini 2020, p. 170-178.
  18. ↑ Zanotti et al. 2010, p. 81.
  19. ↑ Baconi 2018, p. 215.
  20. 1 2 Gordon & Perugini 2020, p. 7.
  21. ↑ Ezra 2015, p. 33.
  22. ↑ "Human Shields". B'tselem, 11 November 2017.
  23. ↑ Gordon, Perugini 2020 p.165.
  24. ↑ Jean-Pierre Filiu. Gaza: A History. p. 98.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Israel-Gaza: IDF used Palestinians as human shields 1,200 occasions in last five years, say Israeli defence officials". Belfast Telegraph, 12 October 2005.
  26. 1 2 3 "Mofaz: IDF to appeal 'human shield' ruling". Yediot Aharonot. 11 October 2005. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  27. ↑ "Israel and the Occupied Territories Shielded from scrutiny: IDF violations in Jenin and Nablus". Amnesty International. 4 November 2002. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
  28. ↑ Human Rights Watch, Jenin: IDF Military Operations, Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine "VII. Human Shielding and the Use of Civilians for Military Purposes", May 2002.
  29. 1 2 B'Tselem, Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine "Israeli Soldiers use civilians as Human Shields in Beit Hanun", B'Tselem, 20 July 2006.
  30. ↑ UN Doc. Chronological Review of Events 6 November 2002, "A military court in Israel sentenced two junior officers to 28 days imprisonment because they had used Palestinian civilians as 'human shields', Israel Radio reported. A platoon sergeant who had made a navigation error and ended up in a Palestinian village with his soldiers had forced a villager to drive them to a safe place, the radio said. During the sergeant's investigation, a similar incident had come to light in the same battalion, during which a squad commander had made a Palestinian drive him and his soldiers to safety."
  31. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "A paper on the IOF Invasion of the town of Beit Hanoun (June 29 – August 5, 2004)", Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, 12 August 2004. On "Al Mezan Center for Human Rights". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013. Another 36 homes were occupied by Israeli soldiers and used as watch posts. In every case of home occupation the IOF detained the inhabitants inside one room of the house
  32. 1 2 "Israel's human shields draw fire". The Guardian. 2 January 2003. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  33. 1 2 "Israel faces human shield claim". Archived 17 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine BBC News, 23 April 2004.
  34. ↑ "Israeli army accused of new killing". Archived 17 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine BBC News, 16 August 2002.
  35. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  36. 1 2 "IDF to ask High Court to review ban on 'human shield' practice". Haaretz. 11 October 2005. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  37. ↑ "IDF to appeal human shield ban". BBC News. 12 October 2005. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  38. ↑ Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine – "Human rights groups on the attack on Gaza B'Tselem: Israeli soldiers use civilians as human shields in Beit Hanun", B'Tselem, 20 July 2006.
  39. 1 2 3 Israel Probes "Human Shield" Allegations". Archived 16 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine CBS News, 11 April 2007.
  40. ↑ "Israelis use Palestinian as human shield". Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. The Denver Post, 12 April 2007.
  41. ↑ "Israel accused of using Palestinian children as human shields". The Guardian. 9 March 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  42. ↑ "Israel Human Shield Suspension". Archived 17 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News, 14 April 2007.
  43. 1 2 "Breaking silence on Gaza abuses". BBC News. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  44. ↑ Amnesty International Report "Operation Cast Lead": 22 Days of Death and Destruction pp. 48–50, "Document". 2 July 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  45. ↑ "Impunity for War Crimes in Gaza-Southern Israel a Recipe for Further Civilian Suffering". Archived 21 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Amnesty International.
  46. ↑ James Bone. "UN accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza", The Times, 16 September 2009.
  47. ↑ Associated Press report, "UN Human Rights Council endorses Gaza war crimes report, demands Israel, Hamas investigate", Archived 17 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine New York Daily News, 16 October 2009.
  48. 1 2 Chassay, Clancy (23 March 2009). "Guardian investigation uncovers evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  49. 1 2 "Israel soldiers on Gaza: Excerpts". BBC News. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  50. ↑ "Breaking silence on Gaza abuses". BBC News. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  51. 1 2 "Israeli soldiers who used Palestinian boy, 9, as a human shield avoid jail". The Guardian. 21 November 2010. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  52. ↑ "Two IDF soldiers charged with using 9-year-old 'human shield' in Gaza war". Haaretz. 12 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  53. ↑ "IDF soldiers convicted of using 11-year-old as human shield in Gaza". Haaretz. 3 October 2010. Archived from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  54. ↑ "Two Israeli soldiers guilty of using human shield in Gaza". BBC News. 3 October 2010. Archived from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  55. ↑ "Israeli troops demoted over Gaza 'human shield' boy". BBC News. 21 November 2010. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  56. ↑ Harriet Sherwood, "Israeli Soldiers Convicted of Using Palestinian Boy as Human Shield," The Guardian 3 October 2010.
  57. ↑ Israel: Soldiers' Punishment for Using Boy as 'Human Shield' Inadequate (Report). Human Rights Watch. 26 November 2010. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  58. ↑ "Palestinian children tortured, used as shields by Israel: U.N." Reuters. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  59. 1 2 "Israeli soldiers testify about violence against Palestinian children". Le Monde (in French). 21 August 2012. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014. One of the soldiers testifies that a procedure, though banned, [is still] used when the army comes to arrest a Palestinian suspect: soldiers send a neighbor, charged with asking the residents of the besieged house to come out. 'I think that happened in Tulkarem. We made everyone come out, without finding the person we were looking for. So we sent the neighbors in, and afterward a child. He had to take a tour inside the house, open all the doors and windows, lit all the lights.' The commander of the unit said the procedure was illegal. 'He declared he would rather that a neighbor be killed ... if that made it possible to avoid one of his men from being shot while entering the house', said the soldier. The population has no choice but to cooperate. 'When you knock on the door at night, with your gun shining under their face, your flashlight on their eyes, and you see he is not armed ..., he won't tell you he doesn't want to cooperate.'
  60. 1 2 3 Euro-Mid Documents Israel's Use of Human Shields in Gaza (Report). Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights. 10 August 2014. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  61. ↑ Fares Akram; Jodi Rudoren (24 August 2014). "Teenager Cites Ordeal as Captive of Israelis". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  62. ↑ "Israeli forces use Palestinian child as human shield in Gaza". Archived 28 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Defence for Children International Palestine. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  63. ↑ AKRAM, FARES and JODI RUDOREN (24 August 2014). "Teenager Cites Ordeal as Captive of Israelis". No. Middle East. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  64. ↑ Bernstein, Prof. David (24 August 2014). "Why would the NY Times publish an uncorroborated allegation from the son of a top Hamas official?". The Washington Post. No. The Volokh Conspiracy. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  65. ↑ "Israeli forces use Palestinian girl as a human shield in Jenin MAY 19, 2022". 19 May 2022.
  66. ↑ "Israel Fired Missile at House With Sleeping Kids, Used Girl as Human Shield, Family Claims". Ha'aretz.
  67. ↑ Amira Hass (31 May 2022). "Will Someone Finally Say Israel Has Lost It?". Haaretz.
  68. ↑ "Children and armed conflict: Report of the Secretary-General" (PDF). The United Nations verified the recruitment and use of 4 Palestinian children (3 boys, 1 girl) by Israeli forces as human shields
  69. ↑ "UN: Israel, Palestinians used children as human shields".
  70. ↑ Harel, Amos (3 August 2004). "Analysis / Stoking an appetite for revenge". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2011. The photographs from recent operations show that the armed Palestinians use the many civilians in the area, including children, as a 'human shield'. Since this is done routinely, harming children (some, it is possible, by Palestinian fire) becomes almost impossible to prevent.
  71. ↑ "Human Rights Watch Statement on our November 22 Press Release". Archived 7 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Human Rights Watch, 15 December 2006.
  72. ↑ Marsi, Federica (13 November 2023). "What is a 'human shield' and why is Israel using the term in Gaza?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  73. ↑ Worrall, Patrick (24 July 2014). "Does Hamas use civilians as human shields?". Channel 4 News. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023.
  74. ↑ "Hamas' use of human shields in Gaza" (PDF). NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence.
  75. ↑ "Secretary-General's press conference on the Middle East | United Nations Secretary-General". www.un.org. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  76. ↑ "EU nations condemn Hamas for what they describe as use of hospitals, civilians as 'human shields'". AP News. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  77. 1 2 "Israel/Gaza conflict: Questions and Answers". Amnesty International. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  78. ↑ Abrahams, Fred (13 August 2009). "White Flag Deaths". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  79. ↑
  80. ↑ "Hamas' use of human shields in Gaza" (PDF). NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence.
  81. ↑ James Pamment, Vladimir Sazonov, Francesca Granelli, Sean Aday, Māris Andžāns, Una Bērziņa-Čerenkova, John-Paul Gravelines, Mils Hills, Irene Martinez-Sanchez, Mariita Mattiisen, Holger Molder, Yeganeh Morakabati, Aurel Sari, Gregory Simons, Jonathan Terra, Hybrid Threats: Hamas' use of human shields in Gaza Nato Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, 5 June 2019 pp.147–169, 152
  82. ↑ Walsh, Declan (16 May 2021). "Israel and Hamas Fighting Raises Questions about War Crimes". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  83. ↑ Lieblich, Eliav (18 May 2021). "Dispatch from Israel on Human Shields: What I Should've Said to a Dad on the Playground". Just Security. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  84. ↑ "Protect civilians from the impact of hostilities", B'tselem, 27 October 2023
  85. ↑ "ISM report Archived July 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine", 5 May 2003.
  86. ↑ "Document - Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Israel/Gaza conflict". Amnesty International. July 2014.
  87. ↑ "Settlers clash with rabbis guarding Palestinian olive harvest near Hebron" Archived 6 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine Haaretz, 13 October 2008 Associated Press.

Sources

Books

  • Baconi, Tareq (2018). Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 9781503605817.
  • Gordon, Neve (2008). Israel's Occupation. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25530-2.
  • Gordon, Neve; Perugini, Nicola (2020). Human shields: a history of people in the line of fire. Oakland, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-97228-5.
  • Rosen, Richard D. (2012). "Chapter 15, The Protection of Civilians During the Israeli-Hamas Conflict: The Goldstone Report". In Lovell, David W.; Primoratz, Igor (eds.). Protecting Civilians During Violent Conflict: Theoretical and Practical Issues for the 21st Century (ebk-ePUB). Routledge. ISBN 9781317074342.
  • Zanotti, Jim; Sharp, Jeremy M.; Migdalovitz, Carol; Addis, Casey L.; Blanchard, Christopher M. (2010). "Chapter 2: Israel and Hamas: Conflict in Gaza (2008 - 2009)". In Kardelj, Nejc (ed.). Israel vs. Hamas. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. pp. 67–112. ISBN 978-1-61470-176-7.

Journal articles

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