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Use of human shields by terrorists (view source)

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/28-new-hezbollah-missile-launch-sites-detected-in-civilians-areas-highlighting-its-human-shield-tactic</ref><ref>Hezbollah - Using Lebanese Citizens as a "Human Shields".

https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/Data/pdf/PDF_human_shields_1.pdf</ref><ref>Hezbollah's Use of Human Shields

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https://www.idf.il/en/minisites/hezbollah/hezbollah/hezbollahs-use-of-human-shields/</ref> ~~(Iranian proxy)~~.

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https://www.idf.il/en/minisites/hezbollah/hezbollah/hezbollahs-use-of-human-shields/</ref><ref name=hezbollah-july2021>Anna Ahronheim, "[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/idf-hezbollah-storing-weapons-25-meters-from-a-school-673810 IDF: Hezbollah storing weapons 25 meters from a school]," JPost, July 14, 2021.

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The explosion of a Hezbollah warehouse near a school, should it happen, would be half the size of the Beirut explosion of last year... a possible target belonging to Hezbollah in the southern Lebanese village of Ebba in the Nabatieh Governorate... the terrorist group is storing rockets, military-grade explosives and other weapons in a residential building just 25 m. from a school with 300 students.

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*Nir Dvori, Roni Daniel, "[https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/2021_q3/Article-c3560899505aa71027.htm N12 - Watch: The IDF unveils a weapons depot set up near a school yard]", N12, July 14, 2021.

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The IDF is preparing for a possible confrontation on the northern border.

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Preparing for possible confrontation with Hezbollah: IDF unveils weapons depot placed near a schoolyard in Lebanon.

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The Northern Command decided to expose one of Hezbollah's thousands of terrorist targets and explained that "the organization has been turning Lebanese citizens into human shields for years" • The IDF emphasizes that the rocket threat to Israel is serious but non-existent: What is the IDF's strategy and how does the economic crisis in Lebanon affect its situation with Israel?

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In the center of Kfar Abba, in the heart of the dense construction, is a school used by 300 of the village's children. About 25 meters from the school yard, Hezbollah is hiding a large weapons depot. "Hezbollah is turning its citizens into human shields for its military infrastructure," the Northern Command explains. Hides tons of explosives within touching distance of children.

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*[https://www.0404.co.il/?p=761284 The next Lebanon war: a bank of targets, an air strike and a terrorist organization hiding behind hundreds of children] 0404, July 14, 2021.

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It can be consistently seen that the terrorist organization Hezbollah uses civilian assets as an operational tactic for military activity, on the other hand, the IDF and the Northern Command will take all measures to reduce harm to civilians ...

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One of the thousands of existing targets in the Northern Command that will be attacked in the next Lebanon war is a warehouse containing weapons. Hezbollah intended to use it against IDF fighters and citizens of the State of Israel. The warehouse was established in the heart of the civilian population in Lebanon, a few meters near a school... in the village of Abba... about 25 meters from the official school of Kfar Abba.</ref> (Iranian proxy).

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* [[Arafat]] - [[PLO]].<ref name=uscongress1983/>

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* ''Tanzim'' (Arab-Palestinian group).<ref name=rb-2002/>

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* ''Al-Qassam'' (Arab-Palestinian group).<ref name=hrw2009/>

* [[Hamas]]<ref>[https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Aidf.il+%22human+shields%22&oq=site%3Aidf.il+%22human+shields%22 idf], [https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Amfa.gov.il+%22human+shields%22 mfa]</ref><ref>[https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/?s=Human+shields M. Amit]</ref> Iranian proxy.<ref>[https://jcpa.org/hamas-is-acting-as-an-arm-of-iranian-power/ Hamas is Acting as an Arm of Iranian Power], Dore Gold, JCPA, May 20, 2021</ref><ref name=jcpa-jul132021>[https://jcpa.org/the-hamas-and-islamic-jihad-leadership-and-their-ties-to-iran/ The Hamas and Islamic Jihad Leadership and their Ties to Iran], Evan Brown, Lenny Ben-David, JCPA, July 13, 2021</ref> Pakistani and Iranian trained.<ref>https://www.opindia.com/2021/06/pak-senator-boasts-about-training-hamas-terrorists-says-will-continue-to-do-so-watch-video/</ref>

*[[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]].<ref name=jcpa-jul132021/><ref>[https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/explosion-at-market-in-gaza-city-injuries-reported-674567 1 killed, 10 injured in explosion at Gaza City market] Tzvi Joffre, JPost, July 22, 2021.

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... Gaza militants used to wear black or khaki uniforms, but since the start of the Israeli offensive have been operating in civilian clothing, blending into crowds, residents say.

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Maybe it's time to re-evaluate which side shows such callous disregard for Palestine's civilians.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=niQegpLe0cEC&pg=PA13211 Congressional Record. Extensions of Remarks, Vol. 160, Pt. 9. Page 13211.] "Israel Has The Right To Defend Itaelf." ... Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania In The House Of Representatives. July 25, 2014. ''Hamas, which was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.. has a history of using schools, hospitals and civilians areas as staging grounds and launch sites for their attacks against Israel. They have also built a network of tunnels under those locations to facilitate the movement of soldiers and weapons for use against Israel. When Israel responds to these attacks by specifically targeting these missiles launchers, Hamas uses human shields--many times children--as propaganda tools. The civilized world should be horrified at such tactics by Hamas and condemn them absolutely.''</ref><ref>[https://m.ynet.co.il/articles/4973648 UNRWA unveils a Hamas tunnel under a school in Gaza] Elior Levy, Ynet, June 10, 2017.

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Maybe it's time to re-evaluate which side shows such callous disregard for Palestine's civilians.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=niQegpLe0cEC&pg=PA13211 Congressional Record. Extensions of Remarks, Vol. 160, Pt. 9. Page 13211.] "Israel Has The Right To Defend Itaelf." ... Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania In The House Of Representatives. July 25, 2014. ''Hamas, which was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.. has a history of using schools, hospitals and civilians areas as staging grounds and launch sites for their attacks against Israel. They have also built a network of tunnels under those locations to facilitate the movement of soldiers and weapons for use against Israel. When Israel responds to these attacks by specifically targeting these missiles launchers, Hamas uses human shields--many times children--as propaganda tools. The civilized world should be horrified at such tactics by Hamas and condemn them absolutely.''</ref><ref name=rb-2002>London: Harper Collins. Bergman, R. (2002). Vehareshut Netuna [Authority Given]. Tel Aviv: Miskal-Yediot Ahronot Books and Chemed Books (Hebrew). [https://books.google.com/books?id=K7ToAAAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=%D7%9C%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%99-%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8 p. 262]

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...that they place sabotage labs near schools and kindergartens for camouflage. Salim Hajah, a senior Hamas operative in Samaria who was arrested during Operation Defensive Shield, admitted that he had set up a sabotage laboratory near a school, and laboratory personnel disguised as students carrying bags and books.

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Ahmad Mu'arbi, a senior official at Tanzim Bethlehem, told GSS investigators that he had located his sabotage laboratory in the Daheisheh refugee camp, near a kindergarten.

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He and his men used to make explosives and carry out experiments.

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In both cases, the children in nearby institutions were in constant danger of being blown up as a result of a work accident.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://m.ynet.co.il/articles/4973648 UNRWA unveils a Hamas tunnel under a school in Gaza] Elior Levy, Ynet, June 10, 2017.

''The UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees discovered the tunnel about a week and a half ago, and agreed with Hamas that the part that passes under the school will be destroyed and sealed. It is probably not a tunnel intended to be used to infiltrate Israel.''</ref><ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/unrwa-uncovers-hamas-dug-tunnel-under-school-in-gaza/ UNRWA uncovers Hamas-dug tunnel under school in Gaza]. Palestinian refugee agency condemns Gaza rulers' underground network; Israel's UN envoy: 'Cruelty of Hamas' knows no bounds. By TOI STAFF, 9 June 2017</ref><ref>[https://rotter.net/mobile/viewmobile.php?forum=scoops1&thread=698778 The IDF informs 2 UNRWA schools to evacuate in preparation for the bombing], Rotter, May 17, 2021.

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Already in 2008, Hamas openly bragged about the use of women and children as shields.<ref>[https://www.memri.org/tv/hamas-mp-fathi-hammad-we-used-women-and-children-human-shields Hamas MP Fathi Hammad: We Used Women and Children as Human Shields]

Source: Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas/Gaza). Feb.29. 2008.</ref>

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Even biased HRW acknowledged it already in 2009.<ref>D. Izenberg, Y. Katz, H. Keinon, "[https://www.jpost.com/Israel/HRW-acknowledges-Palestinians-used-human-shields-in-Cast-Lead HRW acknowledges Palestinians used human shields in Cast Lead]," The Jerusalem Post, August 13, 2009.

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A Jerusalem-based researcher for Human Rights Watch, Bill Van Esveld, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that there was evidence to indicate that war crimes were committed by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who allegedly used civilians as "human shields" during Operation Cast Lead...</ref>

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In 2014 it called on the "Palestinian" people to use the tactic to defend their homes: "We in the Hamas movement call on our people to adopt this procedure."<ref>[https://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Pages/Hamas-again-uses-Gazan-civilians-as-human-shields-July-2014.aspx Hamas again uses Gazan civilians as human shields July 2014], MFA, Jul 11, 2014</ref>

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*Hamas was condemned for its use of human shields by the [[EU]] in July-2014;<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/operation-protective-edge/eu-calls-on-hamas-to-disarm-condemns-use-of-civilians-as-shields-368509 EU calls on Hamas to disarm, condemns use of civilians as shields] Herb Keinon. JPost, July 22, 2014</ref> by [[Amnesty International]] in March-2015;<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde21/1178/2015/en/ STATE OF PALESTINE: UNLAWFUL AND DEADLY: ROCKET AND MORTAR ATTACKS BY PALESTINIAN ARMED GROUPS DURING THE 2014 GAZA/ISRAEL CONFLICT]

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*Hamas was condemned for its use of human shields by the [[EU]] in July-2014;<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/operation-protective-edge/eu-calls-on-hamas-to-disarm-condemns-use-of-civilians-as-shields-368509 EU calls on Hamas to disarm, condemns use of civilians as shields] Herb Keinon. JPost, July 22, 2014</ref> by the (routinely anti-Israel) [[HRW]] in Aug, 2009;<ref name=hrw2009>[https://www.hrw.org/report/2009/08/06/rockets-gaza/harm-civilians-palestinian-armed-groups-rocket-attacks Harm to Civilians from Palestinian Armed Groups’ Rocket Attacks], HRW, August 6, 2009.

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This 31-page report documents attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups since November 2008 that killed three Israeli civilians and seriously injured dozens of others, damaged property and forced residents to leave their homes. The rockets unlawfully struck populated areas up to 40 kilometers inside Israel, placing roughly 800,000 Israeli civilians at risk. Rockets that fell short of their intended targets in Israel killed two girls and wounded others in Gaza during this period. Palestinian armed groups that launched rockets from densely populated areas also unlawfully put Gaza civilians at risk of Israeli counterstrikes...

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Harm to Civilians from Palestinian Armed Groups’ Rocket Attacks

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While Hamas has at times significantly decreased the level of rocket fire from Gaza, including by pressuring other armed groups to stop unauthorized attacks, it has taken no apparent action to prosecute or otherwise hold accountable Hamas forces or other Palestinian armed groups for launching unlawful rocket attacks against Israeli civilian areas.

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The rockets fired by Hamas and other armed groups are primarily locally made “Qassam” rockets, with a range of 16 kilometers. A smaller number are Soviet-designed “Grad” rockets, with a 21-kilometer range. The rockets have hit Israeli cities and towns close to the 1949 armistice line between Gaza and Israel, primarily Sderot; in 2008, rockets also struck Ashkelon and Netivot. Since late December 2008, some longer-range rockets have struck as far as 40 kilometers inside Israel, including, for the first time, the cities of Beer Sheva and Ashdod.

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None of these rockets can be reliably aimed. Under international humanitarian law applicable to the fighting between Palestinian armed groups and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), such weapons are inherently indiscriminate when directed towards densely populated areas. The absence of Israeli military forces in the areas struck by the rockets, as well as statements from the leaders of Hamas and other armed groups, indicate that many of these attacks are deliberately intended to strike Israeli civilians and civilian structures. Individuals who willfully authorize or carry out deliberate or indiscriminate attacks against civilians are committing war crimes.

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The rocket attacks have caused civilian casualties and property damage. Civilian structures damaged in recent attacks include a kindergarten, a synagogue and private homes. An Israeli early warning siren system, which gives civilians roughly 10 to 45 seconds to find cover in prepared shelters, depending on their distance from the launch site in Gaza, has undoubtedly limited the number of civilian casualties. However, the repeated attacks have, over months and even years, taken a psychological toll on the population in areas close to Gaza. The laws of war prohibit attacks the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population. Because of the rocket attacks, thousands of people have moved away from frequently targeted areas such as Sderot municipality.

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The rocket attacks have also placed civilians in Gaza at risk. The unpredictable nature of the crude rockets has meant that rockets have struck areas not only inside Israel but also inside Gaza; on December 26 a rocket hit a house in Beit Lahiya, killing two Palestinian girls, ages 5 and 12. In addition, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have frequently violated the laws of war by firing rockets from within populated areas. In doing so, they failed to take all feasible precautions to avoid placing military targets within densely populated areas, such as by removing civilians under their control from the vicinity of military targets, and protecting civilians from the danger resulting from military operations...

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Cease conducting attacks from locations near populated areas in Gaza in violation of international humanitarian law requiring all feasible precautions to protect civilians from the effects of attacks, and avoid locating military objectives in densely populated areas...

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This report concerns rocket attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on civilian population centers in Israel since November 2008. ..

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Firing Rockets from Populated Areas

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Numerous Palestinians in Gaza told Human Rights Watch that during the course of Israel’s aerial campaign and subsequent invasion of Gaza in late December and early January, members of Palestinian armed groups redeployed from more open and outlying regions – many of which were either controlled by Israeli ground forces or “covered” by armed aerial drones, helicopters, and fighter aircraft – into densely populated urban areas. The International Crisis Group quoted an Islamic Jihad fighter as saying, “the most important thing is achieving our military goals,” among which was to continue firing rockets in defiance of the stated Israeli aim to end the rocket attacks. He told the Crisis Group, “We stay away from the houses if we can, but that’s often impossible.”

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While fighting in urban areas is not prohibited under the laws of war, parties to a conflict are obligated to adopt measures to minimize the risk to the civilian population. During the recent fighting and at other times, Palestinian armed groups have placed fellow Palestinians at grave risk of Israeli counter-attacks by firing rockets from within or near populated areas. In doing so, they violate the laws of war by failing to take all feasible precautions to avoid placing military targets within or near densely populated areas, to remove civilians under their control from the vicinity of military targets, and to protect civilians from the danger resulting from military operations.

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In most of the following cases, Human Rights Watch researchers found that armed groups endangered civilians by firing rockets from populated areas.

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In one case, a resident in northern Gaza City told Human Rights Watch that he and others had been on the roof of his building watching Israeli bombing raids on the first day of the Israeli assault. He said that around 5 p.m. “[w]e saw Hamas come and put up rocket launchers and fire. We could tell they were Grads by the sound, which is louder and deeper than that of Qassams.” According to the witness, the rockets were fired in a populated neighborhood near a well-known landmark, the al-Andalus tower. The witness specified, “they fired from between a medium-sized cow shed and some houses. There were maybe 60 meters between the cow shed and the houses.” It is not clear if the houses were inhabited at the time. In any case, ten minutes later, the witness said, “there was a retaliatory strike by an F-16 [fighter-bomber], a really big explosion.”

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The witness also said that, in a second incident on January 1, residents of the area shouted at Hamas fighters to prevent them from entering a garden immediately next to the building he lived in, apparently with the intention to use it to fire rockets. “I had already left [the area] but my neighbor, the grocery store owner, was watching and he called me to come back,” the witness said. “The Hamas guys had already cut the wires of the gate to break in. All the people got together and shouted at them to leave, told them the rockets were going to backfire on us. After that we came back every day to the garden for a few hours to prevent them from firing from it.” Hamas did not return to the area, according to the witness.

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Human Rights Watch researchers did not find any cases where Hamas or other armed groups forced civilians to remain in areas in close proximity to rocket launching sites.

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Human Rights Watch was unable to determine the locations from which militants fired rockets in Tel el-Hawa, or if they fired from locations very close to civilians when other firing positions were available. The lawyer who was badly injured by a Palestinian rocket on December 24 (see above) said he was unsure where fighters fired rockets in his neighborhood: “Not from rooftops, but that doesn’t make much difference when the IDF responds with an F-16 or heavy artillery.” In the months before the Israeli attack, he said, “we heard strange sounds coming just after the dawn prayers. We knew it was rockets being fired, but we never expected this [the rocket that fell on his home]. And this morning [April 10], we heard the same sounds again. We were all talking about it at lunch.” He added, “I do not deny the right of occupied people to resist, but I think that the means should be reevaluated.”

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Two residents of the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in the southern part of Gaza City separately told Human Rights Watch that they could hear repeated rocket firings from the neighborhood during the Israeli operation, but could not identify the precise location of the launch sites. One said he heard “several” rockets being fired between December 27, when Israel launched its initial air strikes, and January 4, 2009, when he left the area for security reasons. The other resident remained in Tel al-Hawa throughout the period of heavy fighting and said he had heard “many” launches. The second man said neighbors had told him of a case in which fighters reportedly fired a rocket from within the courtyard of a building. Neither knew of rockets being launched from inhabited buildings or areas nearby, or whether Hamas made efforts to remove the buildings’ residents before firing rockets.

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The doctor whose home in Shajai’ya had been damaged by a rocket (see above) said that neighbors told him they saw the rocket being launched from an open agricultural area about 250 meters southwest of his home. “It was fired by a timer. Right after that there was a[n IDF] drone over us for 10 minutes – I’m sure it saw the damage to my house.” In another case, the doctor said, militants had fired a rocket much closer to the row of houses along his street. He said that a week before Israel began major military operations, an IDF helicopter fired a missile in response to a rocket firing “just 50 meters from here, inside the compound of the Palestinian power authority.” He indicated a wall directly across the street from his home. The Palestinian fighters “fired from inside the walls of the compound. Then the helicopter fired back,” shooting a missile into the main building in the compound. By using the compound of the power authority for military purposes, the Palestinian forces were making the normally civilian structure a lawful military target and may have been placing the residents of nearby homes at unnecessary risk.

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According to the doctor, residents of the area felt endangered and angered by the militants’ use of their area as a launching site. Two weeks before the rocket hit his home, he said, “another rocket fell short, but the people where the rocket landed didn’t know the name of the person responsible, and I think they were too afraid to ask.” He and his neighbors “went to the political leaders in the area and complained, and later they gave me money to repair the windows, though not the damage inside the house.” The authorities made no promises to stop the rocket fire, he added.

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As noted, parties to a conflict violate the laws of war when they fail to take all feasible precautions to avoid placing forces, weapons, and ammunition within or near densely populated areas. Deliberately using civilians to deter attacks on military targets amounts to “human shielding,” which is a war crime In the preceding cases, Human Rights Watch either could not determine or the evidence did not indicate that militants launched rockets from areas close to civilians with the intention of deterring Israeli forces from counter-attacking. The International Crisis Group interviewed three Hamas fighters in January who said they “often fired [rockets] in close proximity to homes and from alleys, hoping that nearby civilians would deter Israel from responding” -- indicating the intent to use civilians as shields. The Crisis Group’s report and the staff who conducted the interviews did not provide further details or specific cases of shielding. The Crisis Group reported that after the conflict, some Gaza residents unsuccessfully “urged a government investigation of, and accountability for, fighters who endangered civilians” by firing from populated areas...</ref> by [[Amnesty International]] in March-2015;<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde21/1178/2015/en/ STATE OF PALESTINE: UNLAWFUL AND DEADLY: ROCKET AND MORTAR ATTACKS BY PALESTINIAN ARMED GROUPS DURING THE 2014 GAZA/ISRAEL CONFLICT]

26 March 2015, Index number: MDE 21/1178/2015.<blockquote>

During the Gaza/Israel conflict in July and August 2014, Palestinian armed groups fired thousands of rockets and mortars at Israel, in many cases directed towards Israeli civilians and civilian objects, in violation of international law. The conduct of Palestinian armed groups, including firing from residential areas and using indiscriminate munitions that cannot be accurately directed at a military target, also endangered civilians in Gaza.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://m.dailykos.com/stories/1378747 Hamas guilty of war crimes - Amnesty International] DK, Apr 19, 2015</ref> (a body which is rather obsessed with anti-Israelism), in April-2018 by the EU,<ref>[https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/172755-180420-eu-condemns-hamas-for-using-civilians-as-human-shields EU Condemns Hamas For Using Civilians As Human Shields], i24 News, Apr 20, 2018</ref> and by the [[UN]] in June-2018.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-praises-un-condemnation-of-terrorists-use-of-human-shields/amp/ Israel praises UN condemnation of terrorists’ use of human shields]. TOI Staff and AP, June 27, 2018.

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