US knew Israeli officials discussed using Palestinians as human shields: Report
International law strictly prohibits the use of civilians as human shields during military operations
The United States gathered intelligence last year indicating that Israeli officials discussed sending Palestinians into Gaza tunnels suspected to be rigged with explosives, two former US officials told Reuters.
The intelligence was shared with the White House and analysed by US agencies in the final weeks of ex-president Joe Biden’s term, the officials said. International law strictly prohibits the use of civilians as human shields during military operations.
While Israel has faced repeated accusations of using Palestinians as shields in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, the Reuters report marks a rare disclosure that Washington gathered its own intelligence on the issue. The former officials did not clarify whether the Palestinians mentioned were civilians or detainees, and it remains unclear if the Biden administration raised the matter with Israel.
In response, the Israeli military said it “prohibits the use of civilians as human shields or coercing them in any way to participate in military operations”. It added that its Military Police Criminal Investigation Division is investigating “suspicions involving Palestinians in military missions”.
Earlier this year, seven Palestinians testified to The Associated Press that they had been used as human shields in both Gaza and the West Bank. In June, Al Jazeera verified footage showing Israeli soldiers tying a wounded Palestinian man, Mujahed Azmi, to a military jeep during a raid in Jenin. Israel later admitted the soldiers violated protocol, while the US State Department called the incident “disturbing” and “a clear violation” of Israeli military orders.
The fresh revelations coincide with Israel’s questioning at the United Nations this week over reports of widespread torture of Palestinian detainees since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks.
Peter Vedel Kessing, rapporteur for the UN Committee Against Torture, said the panel was “deeply appalled” by evidence of “systematic and widespread torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians, including children”.
When asked whether Israel has a law prohibiting torture or applies international anti-torture conventions in Gaza and the West Bank, Israeli officials answered “no” to both questions.
The committee cited multiple reports of torture, including a leaked video from Israel’s Sde Teiman prison appearing to show soldiers raping a Palestinian detainee. Dozens of bodies returned to Gaza during the ceasefire also reportedly bore signs of torture.
The UN Committee Against Torture is expected to issue a non-binding summary of its findings later this month.