In a scene in the camp of Khan Younis, the second largest city in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed S. revealed a story that does not fit the usual Israeli narratives of the war being waged in the Palestinian enclave.
In the 11 months of slaughter in Gaza, Israel claimed that Hamas used the civilian population of the Strip as human shields. Images of weapons and ammunition found in schools and hospitals, for example, were presented as evidence. But, Mohammed S. spoke of a… different reality.
“The Israeli soldiers blindfolded us and tied our hands behind our backs. They took us in their jeeps and we sat in a house,” he said, as reported by Deutsche Welle. “The next day they took us by force and told us: ‘You will come with us or we will kill you'”.
“We were wearing Israeli uniforms, they were monitoring us through headphones”
“They sent me and someone else on a mission. They gave us a camera in our hands, in addition to the one mounted on the helmet. They controlled us through headphones: “Stop here, go there, take shots of this house, stop on this street”” were the orders they gave them, as he claimed.
Based on his words, the Israeli army used him as a human shield. Specifically, he had to enter homes before Israeli troops entered, taking risks that Israeli soldiers did not want to face themselves.
Nadav Weiman, director of the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence, confirmed these reports. “Since December, he said, soldiers who served in the Gaza war have repeatedly reported how Palestinian civilians are being used as human shields.
According to him, the IDF kidnaps Palestinians from the so-called “humanitarian zones” and brings them to various units in Gaza. Dressed in Israeli military uniforms and sometimes with cameras attached to their helmets or uniforms, the Palestinians are sent to search underground tunnels or homes, to check for bombs and traps.
In fact, the NGO claimed that it receives two to three related reports from soldiers every week. For Wayman, this is proof that these are not isolated cases, but that the practice of sending Palestinian civilians into dangerous situations is widespread, for months, across the Gaza Strip, in various units.
Wayman then described the reports the organization has received. As he revealed, in one unit, the officer said: “You don’t have to think about war crimes. I’m your officer, you must follow orders.” In another unit, the following was reported: “Would you rather die? We prefer the Palestinian to die.”
Another Palestinian, Mohammed A., said that Israeli soldiers forced him at gunpoint to enter buildings for 15 days, just like Mohammed S.. He said that the soldiers dressed him in an Israeli uniform to make him a target, stating that Hamas fighters could have killed him, or he could have died from booby traps or bombs.
He noted how he had to enter several houses. Inside, he had to take video and open every door, he told German public broadcaster ARD in Tel Aviv. Sometimes, when he entered the houses he was accompanied by a drone, he added.
The IDF’s response
Mohammed A. said he was released by Israeli soldiers in April, but still has nightmares to this day, such as when he had to search a hospital.
“It was horrible. There were dead bodies everywhere in Nasser Hospital. I can’t believe I made it out of there alive. I still have nightmares and wake up at night,” he said.
The Palestinians who are used in this way by the Israeli troops, according to testimonies from Gaza, are ordinary citizens – as shown by the fact that they are released after a period of time.
The Israeli military responded as follows when asked to comment on the ARD investigation: “IDF guidelines prohibit the use of captured civilians in Gaza in military missions that would put them at risk. The allegations have been forwarded to the relevant authorities for investigation.”
It is noted that Israel’s large-scale military operations, which have caused a humanitarian and health disaster in the besieged Palestinian enclave, have so far claimed the lives of approximately 41,000 people.
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