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Israeli soldiers and former detainees tell AP Israel’s use of human shields in Gaza is widespread (apnews.com)
submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The only times the Palestinian man wasn’t bound or blindfolded, he said, was when he was used by Israeli soldiers as their human shield.

Dressed in army fatigues with a camera fixed to his forehead, Ayman Abu Hamadan was forced into houses in the Gaza Strip to make sure they were clear of bombs and gunmen, he said. When one unit finished with him, he was passed to the next.

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[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I’m not sure “human shield” is the correct term here. That implies using the civilian population to deter your enemy from shooting at you - which has been Hamas’ strategy from the beginning. It would make zero sense for the IDF to do that, since it wouldn’t deter anyone.

EDIT: It may be more accurate to categorize this as using a protected person to perform military duties, which is also prohibited under international humanitarian law - but it’s a different category of war crime.

Human shield is defined under Geneva Conventions as "utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations"

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Human Shields

Hamas:

Intentionally utilizing the presence of civilians or other protected persons to render certain areas immune from military attack is prohibited under international law. Amnesty International was not able to establish whether or not the fighters’ presence in the camps was intended to shield themselves from military attacks. However, under international humanitarian law, even if one party uses “human shields”, or is otherwise unlawfully endangering civilians, this does not absolve the opposing party from complying with its obligations to distinguish between military objectives and civilians or civilian objects, to refrain from carrying out indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, and to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians and civilian objects.

Israel:

Additionally, there is extensive independent verification of Israel using Palestinians as Human Shields:

Deliberate Attacks on Civilians

Israel deliberately targets civilian areas. From in general with the Dahiya Doctrine to multiple systems deployed in Gaza to do so:

Israel also targets Israeli Soldiers and Civilians to prevent them being leveraged as hostages, known as the Hannibal Directive. Which was also used on Oct 7th.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago

I’m not here to deny the atrocities committed by the IDF - I’m simply questioning the legitimacy of the term in this specific context, while somewhat provocatively trying to highlight the fact that accusing Israel of using human shields is a bit like accusing Ukraine of killing civilians. While both may be technically true, it still paints a somewhat dishonest picture of the actual reality - which, in this case, is that using human shields is Hamas’ number one tactic, and no intellectually honest person can seriously claim otherwise.

[-] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

No one is buying your Zionist bullshit

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Well obviously not. We're long past the times where it mattered what anyone was actually saying. Fighting strawmen and attacking people directly rather than what they're saying is a lot easier and wins you many more upvotes from the hivemind.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Good thing I brought an entire fucking list of sources, dumbass

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

I’m not here to deny the atrocities committed by the IDF

That's precisely what you are doing. You are a genocide apologist and I am not surprised someone called you a "fascist" in another thread.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

try reading news about the IDF

[-] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago

What's your point?

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

you seem to be learning about the IDF for the first time, you'd be surprised at what they do

[-] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago

I don't see how this is relevant to what I said.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

you seem to be trying to be pedantic regarding war crimes but are still wrong to boot.

when they tie Palestinians to the front of their vehicles, I think we can say they're using literal human shields.

try putting your energy somewhere where you're not defending genocidal fascist military forces?

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

when they tie Palestinians to the front of their vehicles, I think we can say they’re using literal human shields.

That would absolutely count as using them as human shields. However, the example used in the article, in my opinion, doesn’t. What they’re doing is still just as immoral and still a war crime, but I don’t think it qualifies as an example of using someone as a human shield.

This has nothing to do with defending the IDF - don’t be ridiculous.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

oof.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You are defending literal war crimes and you should be ashamed of yourself.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

Human Shields is a practice employed by the IDF for years and decades.

And you'd have to a be a Zionist to think Palestinians wouldn't want to avoid shooting their own.

this post was submitted on 24 May 2025
104 points (100.0% liked)

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