Israeli soldiers and former prisoners say Israeli forces regularly use Palestinians as human shields in the Gaza Strip, sending them into buildings and tunnels to check for explosives and militants.
They say the practice has become commonplace over the 19 months of conflict.
The Israeli military, for its part, says it prohibits the use of civilians as shields, a practice it has long accused Hamas of engaging in.
In an official statement, they mentioned that they were looking into several incidents, but did not provide specific details.
Seven Palestinians told The Associated Press they were used as shields in both the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. One said he was beaten, tied up and blindfolded.
Two Israeli soldiers also described the use of human shields and the use of derogatory terms such as “mosquito” towards Palestinians.
One Palestinian, Ayman Abu Hamadan, told The Associated Press that when he was arrested in northern Gaza last year, the only time he was not bound and blindfolded was when Israeli soldiers used him as a human shield.
He said the 36-year-old man, wearing a military uniform and with a camera attached to his forehead, was forced to enter houses in the Gaza Strip to check for explosive devices and armed men.
When one unit finished working with it, it was passed on to the next.
“They beat me and said, 'You have no choice; do this or we will kill you,'” he described the two and a half weeks he spent in Israeli army custody in northern Gaza last summer.
One Israeli officer said orders often come from above, and almost every platoon uses a Palestinian to clear positions.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
