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The Israeli military has used Palestinians as human shields in Gaza, soldier and former detainees say

The soldier said that he and his comrades refused to carry on with the practice after two days and confronted their senior commander about it. Their commander, who first told them not to “think about international law,” saying that their own lives were “more important,” ultimately relented, releasing the two Palestinians, the soldier said. The fact that they were released, he said, made it clear to him that they had no affiliation with Hamas, “that they are not terrorists.” CNN was connected with the soldier by Breaking the Silence, an organization that provides a forum for Israeli soldiers to speak out and verifies their testimony.

How Israel’s Army Uses Palestinians as Human Shields in Gaza

The soldiers who spoke to The Times said they began using the practice during the current war because of a desire to limit the risks to infantry. Some of the soldiers who saw or participated in the practice found it deeply troubling, prompting them to take the risk of discussing a military secret with a journalist. Two were connected to The Times by Breaking the Silence, an independent watchdog that gathers testimony from Israeli soldiers.

The Silent Overhaul - Full Report

Using stealthy bureaucratic measures, Israel has transformed the nature of governance in the West Bank, taking it from a military occupation with obligations towards the occupied population under international law to a system in which Israeli civilian government institutions, carrying a duty of loyalty to Israelis, run most aspects of Palestinian life in the West Bank. Under Minister Bezalel Smotrich, adherents to the settler ideology have been given greater control over the West Bank and, in practice, the power to implement their ideological agenda.

Stripped and held at gunpoint, the Gaza schoolboys ‘forced to be Israel’s human shields’

Breaking the Silence says its research shows the use of human shields is not limited to a few isolated incidents or a commander acting on a whim. “The testimonies make it clear that it’s both systemic and systematic to how the IDF is fighting in Gaza,” a recent statement said.

In Gaza, Israel's Dehumanization of the Palestinians Has Reached a New Height

There were soldiers who protested at the sight of the new "dogs," several brave ones even gave testimony to Breaking the Silence. But the procedure, which was once specifically forbidden by the High Court of Justice, has been adopted on a broad scope in the army. The next time that the public protests the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu ignores High Court rulings, we should remember that the army also brazenly ignores its rulings.

How These Battle-hardened Israeli and U.S. Veterans Hope to End the Gaza War

Through Breaking the Silence's organized tour, Vasquez and the other U.S. veterans heard from a range of perspectives – journalists, lawyers, nongovernmental organizations, Palestinian youth groups – that provided a deep dive into the history and realities of the Israeli occupation. "It was the most impactful 12 days of my life," the U.S. veteran sums up. "I learned so much and felt inspired meeting Israelis and Palestinians who care about ending the occupation."

Occupation Has Corrupted the Humanity of Israel’s Military

“Every boundary” of military behavior, Avner Gvaryahu writes, “is destined to be redrawn in a military occupation, whose very existence relies on terrorizing a civilian population into submission.”

The Myth of Israel’s “Moral Army”

"There is no quick fix for Israel’s wrongdoings, since they are all symptoms of the same root cause: Israel’s absolute prioritization of “managing the conflict” and deferring any real solution, no matter how many civilians—Palestinian or Israeli—are harmed."

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