Israeli use of human shields in Gaza was systematic, soldiers and former detainees tell the AP

[Celerity]

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-army-human-shields-80f358dd2c87a1123f26ffada159701c



TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The only time the Palestinian man wasn’t bound or blindfolded, he said, was when he was used by Israeli soldiers as their human shield. Dressed in army fatigues with a camera fixed to his forehead, Ayman Abu Hamadan was forced into houses in the Gaza Strip to make sure they were clear of bombs and gunmen, he said.

When one unit finished with him, he was passed to the next. “They beat me and told me: ‘You have no other option; do this or we’ll kill you,’” the 36-year-old told The Associated Press, describing the 2 1/2 weeks he was held last summer by the Israeli military in northern Gaza.



Orders often came from the top, and at times nearly every platoon used a Palestinian to clear locations, said an Israeli officer, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Several Palestinians and soldiers told the AP that Israeli troops are systematically forcing Palestinians to act as human shields in Gaza, sending them into buildings and tunnels to check for explosives or militants. The dangerous practice has become ubiquitous during 19 months of war, they said.

snip

[Big Blue Marble]

1. Why is so easy for humans to dehumanize other humans?

Why are we the only species on the planet that does this?
And why can we not stop doing this?

When we dehumanizes others we, ourselves lose touch with our
own humanity. Each of must ask this question, where have I
dehumanized others and how do I bring more awareness and respect
to others. It has to begin with me.

[PatSeg]

11. Well said

Such thoughts plague me daily and I begin to wonder what kind of a species do I belong to. I can accept that some people are more compassionate than other, but to see so many being mindlessly cruel is beyond my comprehension.

In my next life, I think I'll opt to be a bird.

[spanone]

2. K&R

[Ping Tung]

3. "The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog." Mark Twain

I'm not surprised that some ordinary people do these kind of things. What sickens me is the excuses they use to justify what they do.

For my country
For my god
The other side does it too
I was just following orders
etc, etc, etc.

Patriots like to talk about dying for the country. They don't talk about killing for their country.
Bertrand Russell

[David__77]

4. This - and more - has been acceptable to the US, of course.

[malaise]

8. And not just the US

Lots of complicity to be shared among many powerful nations.

[tritsofme]

10. That is most excellent!

[Iggo]

5. Of course it was. But it's just not their fault. Why don't you understand that?

[AloeVera]

6. So there ARE human shields in Gaza after all.

Turns out I was wrong all along...

[Autumn]

7. So fucking wrong.

[JustAnotherGen]

9. What are we expected to do about it?

I would not be surprised if Trump starts sending ICE Detainees over there to be the shields.

That's on brand.