A report published by Haaretz Israeli newspaper exposes the Israeli occupation army’s use of Palestinian men as human shields in the search for Hamas resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip. The report reveals that top army officials, including Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, are aware of and condone this practice.
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This description is one of many obtained by Haaretz, some from combat soldiers, others from commanders. The picture that emerges: In recent months, Israeli soldiers used human shields in this way all over Gaza; even the chief of staff’s office knowshttps://t.co/8w1Ba4rlFE— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) August 13, 2024
According to the report, Palestinian civilians, including elderly men and teenagers, are forced to wear Israeli army uniforms and assist in searches for tunnels and booby traps. Israeli occupation soldiers are quoted as saying that the lives of Palestinian men are considered expendable in comparison to Israeli soldiers.
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“Our lives are more important than their lives,” soldiers were told. The thinking is that it’s better for the Israeli soldiers to remain alive and for the shawishim to be the ones blown up by an explosive devicehttps://t.co/8w1Ba4rTvc— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) August 13, 2024
This is not the first time such tactics have been used by the Israeli army. In 2002, during “Operation Protective Wall,” the practice was known as the “Neighbor Procedure” and was accepted within the occupation army.
The report has sparked condemnation from various sources, with Izzat Al-Rishq of Hamas calling for international intervention and justice. South Africa has already filed a genocide case against ‘Israel’ over its actions in Gaza, with the International Court of Justice issuing an interim ruling calling for measures to prevent genocide in the region.
South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel in December 2023 over its war on the Gaza Strip. According to South Africa’s application, Israel’s actions in Gaza were “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”
he ICJ’s final ruling on the broader South African case may take months if not years to rule, but the court can order urgent measures while weighing its decision.
In January, the ICJ, whose orders are legally binding but lack direct enforcement mechanisms, issued an interim ruling, ordering the occupying regime to take all measures to prevent genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire.
The Israeli regime’s Washington-backed bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 92,152 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.
Source: Israeli media (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
