Israeli military's use of Palestinians as human shields in Gaza reported to Washington. What was the decision of the Biden administration

The United States obtained information last year about Israeli officials talking about how its soldiers sent Palestinians into tunnels in Gaza that the Israelis believed could be mined, two former US officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. International law prohibits the use of civilians as shields during military operations.

The information reached the White House and was reviewed by the intelligence community in the final weeks of President Joe Biden's administration.

Insiders in the Biden administration had long been concerned about reports that Israeli soldiers were using Palestinians as shields. The White House was concerned about the scale at which this phenomenon was occurring and the possibility that soldiers were acting this way on the orders of their commanders.

Officials cited by Reuters did not specify whether the Palestinians used as shields were prisoners or civilians. It is also not known whether the Biden administration has discussed the matter with the government of Israel. The CIA did not respond to a request for comment on this matter.

The Israeli army (IDF) said in a statement that it “prohibits the use of civilians as human shields or forcing them, in any form, to participate in military operations.” Military police are investigating “suspicions related to Palestinian involvement in military missions,” the statement added. Israel's government did not say whether the matter had been discussed with the United States.

The media has reported that Hamas has used civilians as human shields, particularly by infiltrating its militants into civilian structures such as hospitals, but the group has denied these allegations.

Regarding the IDF's use of civilians, the Biden administration also obtained information related to the fact that Israeli lawyers have warned that there is evidence to support war crimes charges against Israel for the way the military campaign in the Gaza Strip has been conducted.

The information caused concern in Washington that proving Israel's guilt would make the United States responsible for supplying weapons to the IDF. The US would also have been forced to exchange information with Israel.

Jurists from several US institutions have determined, however, that there is no evidence that Israel has committed war crimes and that the US can continue supplying arms to it. Information received from the Biden administration would have described only isolated incidents that did not represent widespread practice by the Israeli military.