The IDF systematically compelled Palestinians to take part in military operations. Several
Palestinians interviewed by Amnesty International in relation to other subjects said that they
had been compelled to take part in military operations and as “human shields”. These
practices violate international humanitarian law. Although the IDF announced through the
State Attorney on 24 May 2002 that it would not use civilians in military operations, Amnesty
International has continued to receive reports of cases in which Palestinians were used by
members of the IDF during military operations, including as “human shields”.
Full report: Amnesty
JERUSALEM — Weeks before Israel sent troops into al-Shifa Hospital, its spokesman began building a public
case.
The claims were remarkably specific — that five hospital buildings were directly involved in Hamas
activities; that the buildings sat atop underground tunnels that were used by militants to direct rocket
attacks and command fighters; and that the tunnels could be accessed from inside hospital wards. The
assertions were backed by “concrete evidence,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said as he laid
out the case in an Oct. 27 briefing.
After storming the complex on Nov. 15, the IDF released a series of photographs and videos that it said
proved its central point.
“Terrorists came here to command their operations,” Hagari said in a video published Nov. 22, guiding
viewers through an underground tunnel, illuminating dark and empty rooms beneath al-Shifa.
But the evidence presented by the Israeli government falls short of showing that Hamas had been using
the hospital as a command and control center, according to a Washington Post analysis of open-source
visuals, satellite imagery and all of the publicly released IDF materials.
Washington Post