Israeli army accused of using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza

The practice of using detainees to clear buildings is so widespread that there is even a code for it: ‘mosquito protocol’

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Two detainees used as human shields being held inside a house in the Gaza City area last year. Photo: Breaking the Silence/AP

Published: 3:00pm, 24 May 2025

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.

“They beat me and told me: ‘You have no other option; do this or we’ll kill you,’” the 36-year-old said, describing the two weeks he was held last summer by the Israeli military in northern Gaza.

Orders often came from the top, and at times nearly every platoon used a Palestinian to clear locations, said an Israeli officer, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Several Palestinians and soldiers said that Israeli troops were systematically forcing Palestinians to act as human shields in Gaza, sending them into buildings and tunnels to check for explosives or militants. The dangerous practice had become ubiquitous during 19 months of war, they said.

Soldiers walk behind Palestinian detainees being sent into a Gaza City-area house to clear it. Photo: Breaking the Silence/AP

In response to these allegations, Israel’s military says it strictly prohibits using civilians as shields – a practice it has long accused Hamas of using in Gaza.

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