The Israeli army, accused of using Palestinian systematically as human shields. What is the “protocol of the mosquitoes”

Several civilians in Gaza claim that they were used by Israeli military as human shields, being sent to houses or tunnels to make sure they are not occupied by Hamas militants. The information is confirmed even by the Israeli military, writes Associated Press, taken by News.ro.

Dressed in military uniform and a room fixed on the forehead, Ayman Abu Hamadan was forced to enter the Gaza Strip houses to make sure there are no armed bombs and people, he said. When a unit finished with him, he was given to the next one. “They beat me and said,” You have no other option; do this or kill you, “said the 36-year-old man for Associated Press, describing the two and a half weeks in which he was detained last summer by the Israeli army in the north of the gas.

“A terrible moral collapse”

The orders often came from the peak and sometimes almost every platoon used a Palestinian to clean the areas, said an Israeli officer, who spoke under the protection of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Several Palestinians and soldiers have told the AP that Israeli troops systematically oblige Palestinians to act as human shields in Gaza, sending them to buildings and tunnels to check if there are explosives or militants. This dangerous practice became ubiquitous during the 19 months of war, they said.

In response to these accusations, the Israeli army states that it strictly prohibits the use of civilians as human shields – a practice of accusing Hamas in Gaza for a long time. Israeli officials blame the militants for the death of civilians in the offensive who killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

In a statement for the PA, the Army stated that it also prohibits the constraint of civilians from participating in operations and that “all these orders are regularly underlined to the armed forces.” The army stated that he is investigating several cases in which the Palestinians were involved in missions, but did not provide details. Did not answer questions about the extent of this practice or any order given by the senior officers.

AP spoke with seven Palestinians who described how they were used as shields in the Gaza and in the busy Westordan, as well as two members of the Israeli army who declared that they participated in this practice, forbidden by international law. Human rights groups draw an alarm signal, saying that it has become a standard procedure used more and more often in the war.

“There are no isolated reports; they indicate a systemic malfunction and a terrible moral collapse,” said Nadav Weiman, executive director of Breaking the Silence, a group of former Israeli soldiers who collected testimonies about this practice inside the army. “Israel rightly condemns Hamas because he uses civilians as human shields, but our own soldiers say they do exactly the same.”

Human shields for saving ammunition

Abu Hamadan said he was detained in August after being separated from his family, and the soldiers told him he would help a “special mission”. He was forced, for 17 days, to search houses and inspect each hole in the ground in search of tunnels, he said. The soldiers stood behind him and, once it was clear, they went into buildings to destroy or damage them, he said. He spent every night tied in a dark room, to wake up and took it from the end.

Human rights groups say that Israel has been using Palestinians as shields in the gaza and the basis of decades. The Supreme Court forbade this practice in 2005. However, groups continued to document violations. However, experts say that this war is the first of the last decades in which this practice – and the debate around it – has been so widespread.

The two Israeli soldiers who spoke with AP – and a third to testify for Breaking the Silence – said the commanders were aware of the use of human shields and tolerated it, some of them even ordering. Some said that this practice was called the “protocol of the mosquitoes” and that the Palestinians were called “wasps” and other dehumanizing terms.

Soldiers – who said they no longer serve in Gaza – said that this practice accelerated the operations, saved ammunition and exempted dogs of wound or death. Soldiers said they became aware for the first time by using human shields shortly after the outbreak of the war, on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, and that this practice became generalized in the middle of 2024. According to them, the orders to “bring a mosquito”. The soldiers acted on the orders of the commanders, according to the officer who spoke with AP.

He said that, by the end of the nine months spent in Gaza, each infantry unit used a Palestinian to clean the houses before entering. “Once this idea was initiated, it caught the fire on a field,” said the 26 -year -old officer. “People saw how efficient and easy it was.”

He described a 2024 planning meeting in which a brigade commander presented to the division commander a slide that he wrote “get a mosquito” and a suggestion that he could “catch one on the street”.

The officer wrote two incident reports for the commander of the brigade, detailing the use of human shields, reports that would have been submitted to the head of the division, he said. The army said he had no comment when asked if he received them.

A report documented the accidental killing of a Palestinian, he said-the troops did not realize that another unit was using it as a shield and shot him as he was running in a house. The officer recommended that the Palestinians be dressed in military clothes to avoid wrong identification. He said he knew at least another Palestinian who died as he was used as a shield.

A method used in the West Bank

It is difficult to convince soldiers to act legally when they see their enemy using questionable practices, said Michael Schmitt, a distinguished teacher of international law at the West Point Military Academy. Israeli officials and other observers say that Hamas uses civilians as shields as they integrate into communities, hiding fighters into hospitals and schools. “It is very difficult to look at your own soldiers and tell them they have to comply,” Schmitt said.

A soldier told AP that his unit tried to refuse to use human shields in the middle of 2024, but he was told that they have no choice, a high-ranking officer telling them that they should not worry about international humanitarian law.

The sergeant – speaking under the cover of anonymity for fear of reprisals – said that the troops used a 16 -year -old boy and a 30 -year -old man for several days. The boy trembled constantly, he said, and they both repeated “Rafah, Rafah” – the southernmost city in Gaza, where more than 1 million Palestinians had fled the battles from other parts at that time of war. He seemed to be begging to be released, the sergeant said.

Masoud Abu Saeed said it was used as a shield for two weeks in March 2024 in the South city Khan Younis. “This is extremely dangerous,” he said he told a soldier. “I have children and I want to meet with them.”

The 36 -year -old man said he was forced to enter houses, buildings and a hospital to dig up suspicious tunnels and clean the areas. He said he was wearing a first-aid vest for easy identification, having a phone, a hammer and saw. During an operation, he came across his brother, used as a shield by another unit, he said. They hugged. “I thought the Israeli army was executed,” he said.

Palestinians also report that they have been used as shields in the Westordan. Hazar Esty said that the soldiers had taken her from her home from the refugee camp in Jenin in November, forcing her to film inside several apartments and to evacuate them before the troops entered. She said she asked to return to her 21 -month -old son, but the soldiers did not listen. “I was most afraid to kill me the most,” she said. “And I will not see my son again.”