Israeli soldiers and former detainees told The Associated Press that the use of human shields is common in Gaza

Tel Aviv, Israel (AP) – The only time the Palestinian was not bound or blindfolded was when he was used as his human shield by Israeli soldiers.

He said wearing Army fatigued and sitting on his forehead with a camera, Ayman Abu Hamadan was forced into a house in the Gaza Strip to ensure they cleared the bombs and gunmen. When a unit ends with him, he is passed to the next one.

“They beat me and told me: 'You have no choice; otherwise we will kill you.'” the 36-year-old told the Associated Press, describing his 2 1/2 week held by the Israeli military in northern Gaza last summer.

Israeli officials said the orders usually come from the top, and sometimes almost every platoon cleans up the site with Palestinians, and Israeli officers speak without fear of retaliation.

Several Palestinians and soldiers told the Associated Press that Israeli forces systematically forced Palestinians to act as human shields in the Gaza Strip, sending them into buildings and tunnels to check for explosives or militants. They say dangerous practices have become ubiquitous in the 19 months of the war.

In response to these allegations, the Israeli military said the use of civilians as shields was strictly prohibited – a practice that has long accused Hamas of its use in Gaza. Israeli officials blame militants on militants' offensives have caused thousands of Palestinians.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the military said it also bans forced civilians to participate in operations, “all of which orders usually emphasize the troops.”

The military said several cases are being investigated, accusing Palestinians of being involved in the mission, but will not provide details. It does not answer questions about the scope of the practice or any commands of the commander.

The AP spoke with seven Palestinians who described being used as shields for Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and two members of the Israeli military said they engaged in the practice, which is prohibited by international law. The rights groups are sounding alarms that the group has become a standard procedure increasingly used by wars.

“These are not isolated claims; they point to the failure of the system and the fearful moral collapse,” said Nadav Weiman, the executive director of the Breaking Silence, a group of whistleblowers of former Israeli soldiers who gathered testimony about the practice from within the military. “Israel correctly condemns Hamas for using civilians as human shields, but our own soldiers describe doing so.”

Abu Hamadan said he was detained in August after separating from his family and soldiers told him he would help with “special missions.” He said he was forced to search the house and check for tunnels in each hole in the ground.

He said the soldiers stood behind him and once it was clear, they entered the building to damage or destroy them. He was in the dark room every night and just woke up and did it again.

Use the human shield to “get in trouble like fire”

Rights groups say Israel has used Palestinians as shields in Gaza and the West Bank for decades. The Supreme Court banned this practice in 2005. But these groups continue to record violations.

Experts say the war remains the first practice in decades, and the debate surrounding it – so broadly.

Two Israeli soldiers who spoke to the Associated Press, and the third one for the testimony of breaking the silence – said the commander knew about using the human shield and tolerated it, and had some orders issued. Some say it is called the “Mosquito Agreement” and Palestinians are also called “wasps” and other dehumanized terms.

The soldiers said they no longer served in Gaza.

The soldiers said they first realized that the war had used human shields shortly after the outbreak of October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and by mid-2024 it became common. The order “brings mosquitoes” often through the broadcast, they say, they say – they say – everyone knows. According to officials who spoke with the Associated Press, the soldiers took commands from the commander.

He said at the end of the nine months in Gaza, each infantry department used Palestinians to clean up the houses before entering.

“Once the idea is started, it gets stuck like fire in a field,” the 26-year-old said. “People see it's effective and relaxed.”

He described a 2024 planned meeting where a brigade commander submitted a slide to the commander of the ministry with “mosquitoes” and suggested they “just catch up with one from the street.”

He said the official wrote two incident reports to the brigade commander, detailing the use of the human shield, which would have been upgraded to the head of the department. The military said it did not comment when asked if it received them.

He said a report documented the accidental killing of a Palestinian – the troops did not realize that another unit used him as a shield and shot him when he encountered a house. The officer advised Palestinians to wear military uniforms to avoid misidentification.

He said he knew at least one Palestinian died while being used as a shield – he fainted in the tunnel.

A sergeant said the troops failed to push back successfully

Michael Schmitt, an outstanding international law professor at Western Point, said convince soldiers to act legally when they see the enemy. Israeli officials and other observers say Hamas uses civilians as shields because it embeds itself in the community and hides warriors in hospitals and schools.

“Looking at your own soldiers and saying you have to comply, it's really a heavy lifting,” Schmidt said.

A soldier told the Associated Press that his troops tried to refuse the use of human shields by mid-2024 but were told they had no choice, and senior officials said they did not have to worry about international humanitarian law.

The sergeant spoke without fear of being retaliated – said the troops used young men aged 16 and 30 for several days.

He said the boy kept shaking and both of them repeated the “Rafa, Rafa”, the southernmost city in Gaza where more than one million Palestinians fled the rest of the war.

Sgt. It seems they are begging for release, the sergeant said.

“I have children,” said one person, who begged

Masoud Abu Saeed said he was used as a shield in the southern city of Khan Younis in March 2024.

“It's extremely dangerous,” he said. “I have children and want to be reunited with them.”

The 36-year-old said he was forced into homes, buildings and a hospital to dig suspicious tunnels and clear areas. He said he wore a responsive vest that could easily identify and carry a cell phone, hammer and chain cutter.

He said that during one operation, he bumped into his brother and used another unit as a shield.

They hug. “I think the Israeli army has executed him,” he said.

The Palestinians also reported that the West Bank was used as a shield.

Hazar Ettity said soldiers brought her Jenning refugee camp home in November, forcing her to shoot in several apartments and clean them up before troops entered.

She said she begged to return to her 21-month-old son, but the soldiers did not listen.

“I'm most worried that they'll kill me,” she said. “Then I can never see my son again.”

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Madi reported on Cairo.