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JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military has long denied allegations of using Palestinian civilians as human shields during its operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, a report released by human rights groups this week appears to corroborate claims made by Palestinian families who have experienced the trauma firsthand.
The report, compiled by B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, and al-Haq, a Palestinian group documenting human rights abuses, details 11 incidents from the past decade in which Israeli soldiers allegedly used Palestinian civilians as human shields in order to gain access to areas where they were carrying out searches.
According to the report, in one particularly egregious case, a Palestinian man was forced to walk in front of Israeli soldiers carrying a large banner that read in Hebrew and English: “I am a human shield.” The man was then told to shout “I am a human shield” to other passing Palestinians, essentially turning himself into a living checkpoint to facilitate the military’s entrance to a sensitive area.
Another case highlighted by the report involved a family of 11 who were forced at gunpoint by Israeli soldiers to accompany troops as human shields while they searched their home. The soldiers allegedly told them that they would take the family hostage if they did not comply.
This report is not the first to raise concerns about the use of human shields in the Israeli military’s tactics. Similar allegations have been made in the past, but they have often been met with denials or insufficient investigations.
The Israeli military, which has a history of using human shields in its operations, has refused to comment on the latest report. It has instead maintained that its soldiers always take precautions to minimize harm to civilians and that human shields are never used.
Palestinian families who have allegedly been used as human shields by the Israeli military are calling for greater attention to this human rights abuse. They argue that it is not only a breach of international law but also a traumatic experience that can have long-lasting psychological effects.
“Being forced to go in front of Israeli soldiers, feeling like a hostage, it’s an experience that stays with you forever,” said one Palestinian woman who was forced to act as a human shield.
As the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict shows no signs of abating, there are mounting calls for greater accountability and transparency in the use of military tactics that risk harming civilians.