LONDON: Palestinian detainees have accused the Israeli military of forcing them to act as human shields during operations in Gaza, a practice that violates both international and Israeli law.
According to testimony gathered by The Guardian newspaper, detainees were compelled to enter homes and tunnels ahead of Israeli soldiers, exposing them to the risk of explosives and attacks from Hamas fighters.
One of the detainees, Ramez Al-Skafi, recounted how Israeli troops detained him after burning down his family home in Shuja’iya.
Skafi said he was separated from his family and coerced into scouting dangerous areas for Israeli forces.
“I tried to resist their proposal, but they started beating me,” he said. “The officer told me it was not my choice to make and that I had to do whatever they wanted.”
Al-Skafi claimed that for 11 days he was sent into houses in his district, ahead of Israeli soldiers, to search for booby traps and provide information about the homeowners. On some occasions, he was made to carry small quadcopter drones inside the buildings, allowing Israeli troops to survey the interior before entering.
“Every day, after they’d finished with me, they used to tie my hands and cover my eyes. They only took the chains off when they were giving me food or when I was allowed to go to the bathroom,” Al-Skafi added.
Israel’s alleged use of human shields came to public attention through footage broadcast by Al-Jazeera in June and July. Israeli newspaper Haaretz also reported on the practice, gathering testimony from Israeli soldiers who said the tactic was institutionalized and referred to detainees as “shawish,” a Turkish phrase for “sergeant.”
According to these soldiers, the practice was not an isolated occurrence but an approved strategy. “It’s done with the knowledge of the brigade commander, at the least,” one soldier said.
The use of human shields is a violation of Article 28 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that civilians or prisoners must not be used to shield military operations from attack.
Israeli law also expressly prohibits the tactic. In a 2002 ruling, Israel’s high court banned the “neighbor procedure,” in which Palestinians were forced to knock on doors or enter homes to ensure their safety. Despite this, there are ongoing claims that such practices persist.
Another former detainee, Ismail Al-Sawalhi, a blacksmith from Jabaliya camp, recalled being detained near the Kerem Shalom crossing in July.
Al-Sawalhi said he was forced to work for 12 days as a human shield during clearing operations in Rafah.
“They took us to missions with them, sending me to the houses in front of them to make sure of their safety, and then they would enter behind us. After they left, they used to blow up the house behind them,” he said.
He also described how he and other detainees were used to protect Israeli soldiers from resistance fighters, saying: “We were like toys in their hands.”
A third detainee from Beit Lahia, who only wished to be identified as Abu Said, described a similar experience.
“The Israeli soldiers put a GPS tracker on my hand and told me: ‘If you try to run away, we will shoot you. We will know where you are,’” he told The Guardian.
Said was forced to knock on doors of homes and schools to evacuate civilians. During one incident, he said: “There was heavy shooting by the Israeli army and I thought I was going to die.”
He was eventually released after several hours but only after being told to leave the area with a white flag to ensure he would not be targeted by Israeli fire.
The Israel Defense Forces denied the allegations. In a statement it said: “The orders and directives of the IDF prohibit the use of Gazan civilians captured in the field for military missions that endanger them. The protocols and orders have been clarified to the troops on the ground.”
It added that the claims made in recent reports had been “forwarded to be examined by the relevant authorities.”
However, whistleblowers from the Israeli dissident group Breaking The Silence have provided corroborating testimony.
Former Israeli military sniper Nadav Weiman, now director of BTS, claimed the use of human shields is widespread in Gaza.
“From what we understand it was a very widely used protocol, meaning there are hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza who have been used as human shields,” he said.
Weiman also alleged that Palestinians, including teenagers, were grabbed from humanitarian corridors and sent into buildings and tunnels wearing Israeli uniforms or equipped with cameras.
“In almost all cases, they are cuffed before they are taken into a tunnel or house to sweep,” Weiman added.
The practice of using human shields has been condemned by numerous human rights organizations.
Bill van Esveld, Human Rights Watch’s associate director for children’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa, said: “There is this repeated history of well-documented accounts by UN bodies, as well as by human rights groups, and indications of Israeli awareness of the problem, but no action. It’s no surprise that this longstanding problem would persist.”
