The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stated that they have documented dozens of cases confirming the Israeli occupation forces’ widespread use of Palestinian civilians as human shields.
The Israeli occupation forces used Palestinian civilians as human shields, forcing some of them involuntarily to engage in military activities posing real risks to their lives, the organization revealed.
Civilians were coerced by the Israeli army to enter buildings, tunnels, search for explosives and potential tunnels, and hold others in homes and risky zones, endangering their lives.
The horrifying scenes aired by Al Jazeera reflected the brutal and inhumane behavior of the Israeli army against civilians, which is deemed a blatant violation of the rules of war and international humanitarian law.
Al-Jazeera obtained a footage showing Israeli occupation soldiers using Palestinian prisoners as human shields in Gaza, forcing them to wear military clothing.
The footage depicted Israeli soldiers forcing Palestinian civilians taken as prisoners, to search for explosives and tunnels. It also showed cameras mounted on the bodies of prisoners, allowing remote control of their movements.
The footage showed a prisoner forced to enter a tunnel after being tied with a rope and having a camera attached to his body. Additionally, it showed a wounded prisoner used as a human shield and forced to enter destroyed homes in Gaza.
“The use of civilians by the Israeli army as human shields was not limited to Gaza, as we documented many similar cases in the West Bank, extending a policy that has been in place for years.”
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor demanded that international judicial accountability must be activated against the perpetrators of these crimes, ensuring justice for the victims in compliance with the Rome Statute, which stipulates that the use of civilians as human shields is a war crime falling under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
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