Report: IDF Units in Northern Gaza Used Palestinian Detainees as Human Shields
In a report published by The Washington Post on Sunday, multiple Palestinian men interviewed by the newspaper said Israeli troops forced them to undertake hazardous operations in Gaza.
The report follows similar allegations made against Israeli forces last month, claiming they coerced civilians into dangerous tasks.
Mohammed Saad, 20, said that between late July and early August, he and two other Palestinian men were forced by Israeli forces to enter dangerous buildings and photograph their interiors to clear the way for troops.
This holiday season, give to:
Truth and understanding
The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting.
They all said they cover it.
We see it.
We report with just one agenda: the truth.
Breaking the Silence, an Israeli nonprofit that collects testimonies from former soldiers, helped arrange an interview with an Israeli soldier for the investigation.
Joel Carmel, the organization’s advocacy director, said that “the earliest testimony we have on it is from a soldier who was aware of it just a few weeks after the ground invasion began. … The latest testimony we have is from the summer.”
The soldier, speaking anonymously, corroborated Saad’s account, noting that the detainees used in these operations were not suspected terrorists. Although some unit members raised concerns with a senior commander, they were reportedly told, “international law does not matter … only the [military’s] ethical code.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded, stating that coercing civilians in military operations is strictly prohibited and that soldiers receive regular briefings on these rules. Both international law and Israel’s High Court ban the use of civilians as shields.
