Khaberni -The "Associated Press" revealed that the Israeli military repeatedly used Palestinian civilians as human shields during its extensive ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Ayman Abu Hamdan, who was wearing a military uniform and a camera mounted on his forehead, explained that he was forced to enter homes in Gaza Strip to ensure they were free of bombs and militants. After one unit was done with him, he was transferred to the next.
The 36-year-old man, describing his two-and-a-half-week detention by the Israeli military in northern Gaza last summer, said, "They beat me and told me: You have no other choice; do this or we will kill you.".
An Israeli officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "Orders often came from above, and sometimes almost every faction was using a Palestinian to clear the sites."
Additionally, a number of Palestinians reported that Israeli forces systematically force Palestinians to work as human shields in Gaza, sending them into buildings and tunnels in search of explosives or militants, noting that this dangerous practice had become common during the 19 months of war.
Prohibited practices
In the same context, "Associated Press" spoke with seven Palestinians who described their use as human shields in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, along with two members of the Israeli military, who admitted to practicing this method forbidden by international law.
Human rights groups are sounding the alarm, saying it has become a routine measure increasingly used in war.
Nadav Weiman, the executive director of "Breaking the Silence", a group of whistleblowers from former Israeli soldiers who collected testimonials about this practice from inside the army, said, "These are not isolated stories; they indicate a systematic failure and a terrible moral collapse."
He added: "Israel condemns Hamas for using civilians as human shields, but our soldiers describe doing the same thing."
17 Days
Abu Hamdan said he was arrested in August after being separated from his family and told by the soldiers that he would assist in "a special mission." He added that he was "forced for 17 days to search houses and every hole in the ground, looking for tunnels."
He mentioned that the soldiers stood behind him, and once the area was confirmed clear, they entered the buildings to destroy or damage them. Abu Hamdan noted that he spent every night shackled in a dark room, waking up to repeat the deed.
Mosquito Protocol
The agency pointed out that the use of human shields "spread like wildfire," and human rights groups confirmed that "Israel has used Palestinians as human shields in Gaza and the West Bank for decades."
The two Israeli soldiers who spoke to the agency, and a third who testified for "Breaking the Silence," said, "The leaders were aware of the use of human shields and tolerated it, and some even issued orders for it."
Some of them said it was called the "Mosquito Protocol," and the Palestinians were also called "Wasps" and other derogatory terms. As the soldiers, who said they no longer serve in Gaza, explained, "This practice helped speed up operations, save ammunition, and spare combat dogs from injury or death."
According to the officer who spoke to the agency, this use became widespread by mid-2024. Orders for "bringing a mosquito" would often come over the radio, a shorthand everyone understood, and the soldiers followed the commanding officers' instructions.
The 26-year-old officer said that by the end of the 9 months he spent in Gaza, every infantry unit was using a Palestinian to clear houses before entering. He added, "Once this idea began, it spread like wildfire. People saw how effective and easy it was to implement."
From Gaza to the West Bank
For his part, Masoud Abu Said said he was used as a shield for two weeks in March 2024 in the city of Khan Younis in the south of the country.
Palestinians also report being used as human shields in the West Bank.
Hazar Astiti reported that soldiers took her to her home in the Jenin refugee camp in November and forced her to film inside several apartments and clear them before the troops entered. She mentioned that she pleaded to return to her 21-month-old son, but the soldiers did not listen to her.
