Use of human shields by terrorists

The tactic of using human shields is very early, many have used human shields. The 'uniquness' of terrorists is by using its own people.

Among documented noted terror entities using this method:

• Taliban
• ISIS
• Al Qaeda
• Houthis (Iranian proxy)
• Hezbollah (Iranian proxy)

• Hamas Iranian proxy. Pakistani and Iranian trained.
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Iran linked.

Palestine: 1939

Already in 1939, Yusuf Sa'id Abu Durra (1900 – 1940 - nom de guerre: Abu Abed), of Mohammed Amin Al-Husseini grand Mufti of a Jerusalem's terror gang, used women to escape.

Anti-Israel forces

The use of its civilians (in attacking Israeli civilians - the double crime) by anti-Israel Arab-"Palestinians" or Hezbollah goes back to at least 1982, by Arafat at PLO.

It has unfortunately caused many deaths while "successfully" duped the media or/and many reporters have played along.

This routine, practice, makes the anti-Israel Arab-Islamic forces the powerful destructive 'Goliath' vs 'David' - Israel - the careful side, despite its military capabilities.

Most widespread, by Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Even by own admission. That, in addition to operatives confessing to this fact.

Among its usage:

• Schools.
• Hospitals.

• Residences/private homes.
• Places of worship.
• Kids.
• Women.
• Ambulances.
• Jounalists.
• UN vehicles.
• Media outlets.

Re Hamas

Hamas, the terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip since it defeated Fatah in elections and expelled its members by killing about 500 of them, between the years 2006 and 2007, learned from Hezbollah how to achieve gains on the conflict against the “Zionist enemy”. Hamas has adopted Hezbollah modus operandi using civilians as “human shields”. Few years ago the IDF published how it looks in the Shiite village of Al-Khiyam in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has placed the weapon depots dozen meters from schools in the crowded center of the village. Over the years, Hamas enjoyed wide assistance of training and consultancy from Hezbollah and applied the same methodology in Gaza. An underground, well concreted City was dug in Gaza, Where Hamas militants were hiding, while a single shelter was not built for the citizens. Gaza villages, as in Southern Lebanon, became military compounds including armories, headquarters, intelligence positions, rocket launching positions, etc. All these were spread throughout the village according to the terrain analysis: observation posts on high positions controlling the roads below, important assets such as command centers and weapons warehouses in the most crowded or sensitive sites such as hospitals, schools and mosques. During an escalation, rockets are being launched from the hidden positions that were dug in advance – within or under homes, schools, mosques and various religious centers. For example, the attached video shows rockets launched last week from the “Al-Noor” school in the Gaza Strip.

NATO has documented Hamas’ use of human shields in Gaza.

Dubbed the 'dead baby strategy.'

Hamas' human shields has been widely noted by international journalists, and has even threatened journalists reporting about it.

Already in 2008, Hamas openly bragged about the use of women and children as shields.

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."

At the time, a 'manual' by Hamas, instruction on human-shields, was found too.

Hamas terrorists confessed to human shields use, including that it was “widely known” that senior Hamas operatives had been hiding inside of Gaza’s hospitals.

As Israel, the side that does care about all civilians, enacted its inventive advanced warning for civilians to evacuate ahead of targeting terrorists or/and weapon facilities etc., Hamas called on the population to stay put and not adhere to IDF warning.

In June, 2021, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar himself admitted that the terrorist group hides in civilian buildings in Gaza.

In July, 2021, in a rare rebuke, Arab-Palestinians, Fatah Palestinian Authority --though themselves terrorists in suits-- rights groups condemned Hamas for storing weapons in civilian areas.

As summarised,

Certain facts are irrefutable. The terrorists are motivated by hatred and aim to wound or kill innocent women, men and children. Israel, by contrast, is motivated by the legal and moral imperative to protect and preserve life, and is always entirely justified in acting in its own self-defense...It is impossible to obtain reliable data on civilian casualties in Gaza. Data that is provided to and reported by the media come from the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. What we do know — what is proven — is that Hamas commits war crimes by using Palestinians as human shields. No place in Gaza is safe from Hamas. Rockets, mortars, rifles and missiles are stored or fired from schools, apartment buildings, offices, mosques and hospitals.

In August 2021, Hamas arrested 20-year-old Mustafa Asfour for criticizing Hamas storing weapons in residential areas in the Gaza Strip.

Report in 2017-2018 on Hezbollah:

Those who follow events in the Middle East are no stranger to the carnage in Syria, but there is another humanitarian crisis in the making you probably haven’t heard much about. Why? Because you will only read it, splashed across international newspapers, when it is too late and everyone acts surprised and outraged that it happened.

Hezbollah, the Shiite terrorist organization bankrolled by Iran and effectively in control of Lebanon, is steeling itself for a new war with Israel. At the heart of the group’s military strategy is the deployment of human shields — a war crime and terrorist tactic aimed at exploiting the moral sensibility of the enemy.

Israeli military officials have warned that Hezbollah has turned hundreds of Lebanese villages into fighting zones, establishing bases in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon, both “above and below live civilians whom we [Israel] have nothing against — a kind of human shield,” said Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, chief of staff for the Israel Defense Forces.

Hezbollah has a presence in “every third or fourth house,” he added, spread out across 240 villages in southern Lebanon, in blatant violation of U.N. Resolution 1701, which calls for the removal of all armed groups from the area. Hezbollah continues to receive weapons from its patrons in Iran and the U.N. Security Council has so far failed to enforce the resolution.

A significant part of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure is embedded in civilian areas. Rockets, bombs and rifles are placed under homes, schools and hospitals with the grim intention that, if Israel needs to take out Hezbollah’s arsenals in a preventive strike, the operation will lead to mass civilian casualties.

Hezbollah is playing a zero-sum game at the expense of its own population, thus leaving Israel in a tough spot: knock out the weapons before they put at risk the lives of Israelis, or wait until they are deployed and risk the lives of both Israeli and Lebanese civilians. It is a no-win situation for Israel. Either way, Israel will be inevitably blamed for any civilian casualties...

Expert on Hezbollah's tunnels:

Lebanese "human shield"

Most Lebanese military commentators explain that the excavation of the tunnels is the result of the lessons of the Second Lebanon War, and were intended to protect Hezbollah fighters and equipment from Israel's subsequent bombings. Al-Qusayr-Zabdani's border area is strategically convenient for Hezbollah because it is mountainous, and compared to other areas for fighter jets it is difficult to bomb.

Lebanese commentator Ahmad al-Ayoubi claimed that Hezbollah was acting without any regard for Lebanon, as the country's landlord, and in 2006 brought disaster and tremendous destruction to Lebanon, all due to the irresponsible step of kidnapping soldiers, serving only the organization's interests. Now the tunnels could bring exactly the same results. According to al-Ayoubi, Hezbollah is defending itself and not the Lebanese. In the next war, the organization's fighters will be in the tunnels, while the civilians will snatch the fire from Israeli planes. Lebanese citizens are becoming a human shield of the organization.

Anti-Israel Islamist terrorists see their methods, firing from residential places, schools, etc. as a win win situation. In case they save themselves and their weaponry, of course they then can keep on the assault on Israeli civilians. If many civilians on its own side die, then Israel's image is even more in shambles and graphic photos are most powerful in bringing sympathy and even recruitment.

Among the famous dates:

• Dec.2000 letter by Arab women on use of kids as "cannon fodders";

• the letter by US doctors;

• the firing behind children stone throwers at intifada;

• 2000-2002 increased use;

• at IDF eliminating Jihadists in Jenin-2002 - which is why the IDF went door to door;

• 2006 Beit-Hanoun widely reported internationally of using women and terrorists did escaped (including BBC reporting on Hamas radio, Nov 3, call to women);

• 2002-2006 use of ambulances;

• 2008-2009 including on air real time Arab journalist reporting rockets fired from beneath;

• In 2008, Hamas' Fathi Hanmad stated that they have been using women and children.

Hamas explains use of human shields: "We desire death as you desire life;"

• In 2008, Fatah men accused Hamas of forcing them to act as human shields;

• 2009 Jan., per AP report, locals affirm that "Hamas militants had opened fire from the cover of a U.N. school where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge."

• 2009, PBS' statement from a doctor at hospital of Hamas terrorists hiding there, thus reaffirming IDF's revelations already in Dec-2008;

• 2009, J. Fleishman in L.A. Times, Jan. 23, detailing how Hamas used a bunker beneath a hospital as a headquarters;

• Oct-13-2009, PA's Mahmoud Abbas: Hamas Leaders Fled to the Sinai in Ambulances during the Israeli Campaign in Gaza;

• 2011 Hamas boasting, bragging of its launching actually showed in its provided images the residential locations where it fired from;

• In 2014, Hamas' Sami Abu Zuhri 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;"

• 2014, UN admitting its UNRWA was used;

• July-2014 widely array of international journalists report of firing from civilian population and Hamas threatens;

• July-2014, WP report of Shifa hpspital being a "de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders;"

• July-2014, Hamas' 'human shields' how to, manual - captured;

• M. Friedman of AP reports (in 2014) how Hamas uses and even controls journalists;

• Hamas firing from besides offices of AP journalists; 2017-2021;

• In 2018 Hamas' Sinwar: "We Decided To Turn The Bodies Of Our Women And Children Into A Dam Blocking Arab Collapse;"

• In 2021 IDF aborting operations as kids were around;
• rocket launchers found near school.
• terror tunnels beneath schools - UNRWA acknowledges;
• in June-2021 Hamas' Sinwar admitting to the operations located in residential places;
• in Aug-2021, Hamas arrests Mustafa Asfour for criticizing Hamas storing weapons in residential areas.

Or Hezbollah use - most notably:

• using Christian villages
• UN recognized the fact in 2001
• and in 2006
• also by foreign journalist in 2006;
• the wide report of using civilians in 2018-19;
• 2021, the Druze fighting Hezbolllah for launching rockets from near their houses in order so to draw fire from IDF at them.

Experts:

Hamas has established an orderly paramilitary framework with brigades, battalions, companies, and platoons as well as dedicated units, including intelligence, commando and cyber units. Its arsenal includes thousands of rockets and missiles at their disposal, as well as dozens of kilometers of tunnels often built underneath highly-sensitive areas in the Gaza Strip such as hospitals. Rockets have even been found underneath UNRWA schools...

Moral and legal justifications that were developed after World War II for declaring and waging wars (specifically the Hague and Geneva Convention) were meant for sovereign states. They are not appropriate for waging wars fought against terrorist organizations like Hamas. This puts Israel at a significant disadvantage to effectively defend itself and its citizens.

In the current campaign between Israel and Hamas, the front and home front are blurred together. Hamas forces civilians in the Gaza Strip and Israel to be on the front lines. Hamas deliberately uses Palestinian civilians as human shields, since the terrorists are launching rockets and missiles from heavily-populated areas towards Israeli cities. Israel on the other hand, is trying to save innocent lives by always notifying Palestinian civilians in the building that is going to be targeted. The IDF does this by sending leaflets, making phone calls, using “knock on the roof” tactics and more.

In the course of the years, the IDF has developed and constantly improved methods, tools to minimze civilian casualties on the other side, including notifying owners of properties ahead of an operation so that civilians can evacuate and more precision guided weapons to hit more accurately at the target. Yet, nothing can ever be 100% a 100% of the times. Plus, the dilemmna is great, sacrificing in not eliminating terror targets such as arsenal, tunnels and operatives who cynically use its people.

As explained in a piece "The Media’s Role in Hamas' War Strategy":

Hamas’ PR strategy can only work if international news media follows the script, whether willingly or under coercion...

According to its critics, Hamas' war strategy works like this:

1. Episodically attack Israel’s civilians in such as way as to provoke a counter-attack.

2. Hide behind Palestinian civilians (preferably in crowded neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals), while encouraging them, even forcing them, to stay, guaranteeing that the return fire wounds or kills civilians and damages civilian structures.

3. Encourage the Western news media to play up the civilian suffering, play down Hamas’ role in it, and accuse Israel.

4. Conjure a firestorm of outrage around the world that eventually pressures Israel into desisting from counteroffensive measures.

5. Survive to reap the propaganda victory and prepare the next round of hostilities.

6. Repeat, with each exchange hurting Israel more, and each round of international news coverage further savaging the Jewish State’s international reputation.

No matter what the Israeli response, the Hamas strategy is win-win. If the Israelis abort a strike to avoid civilian casualties (as they often do), then Hamas is spared the blow; if an Israeli strike causes civilian casualties, Hamas has dead babies to parade before the cameras. And eventually, the bloodletting will get so bad, the pictures so damning, that Israel will stop. Hamas’ endgame goals, at least at this stage of its asymmetrical war, are actually threefold: tie Israel down with constraints on its use of power, delegitimize and demonize it in the eyes of the world, and stir an aggressive “Muslim Street” in the West, where genocidal chants can lead to pogroms against the Jews worldwide.

Despite a pair of pro-Terror radical "activists"

[one, a former al-Jazeera guy, caught lying already before,

another one (Neve Gordon), extremist, hugging, shielding Arafat in the height of 2002 Intifadah massacres, lying as if he "doesn't" know who is responsible for the terror massacres,

"Gordon is so anti-Israel that his columns have been published on the neo-Nazi Zundelsite website operated by Ernst Zundel, the Nazi whom Canada recently deported to Germany, and on Islamic fundamentalist pro-terror web sites." He was "arrested for illegally trying to interfere with the Israeli army's anti-terror activities by serving as a human shield for Arafat and the wanted terrorists being hidden in PLO offices." "Neve Gordon has gotten into bed with neo-Nazis, Holocaust justice deniers, and anti-Semites. He is a despicable example of a self-hating Jew and a self-hating Israeli."

Accused of 'racist Judeophobic rhetoric.'

Taken from an article by a senior Israeli academic, this excerpt typifies the racist Judeophobic rhetoric that has come to dominate the public discourse on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

Accused of inciting anti-Semitism in Arab press by invoking old libels. Described as kind of a fascist type, and who has been chastising, punishing his students for daring to challenge him on his distortion, inciting vengeful treatment against a student who dared challenged his gross lie of his defining a road of all Israelis, Israelis-roads, both Arab and Jewish, as supposedly "just" Jewish. Thus inciting hatred. Even the lefty Ben Gurion Uni condemned his ideas/views: "We strongly reject the destructive views of Gordon, who cynically uses the existing freedom of expression in Israel and at Ben-Gurion University."]

co-authoring a "book" whereby in reality he identifies with Hamas --"book" promoted by two known hateful over-a-decade-propagandists yet, facts are facts.
Both "co-authors" wrote earlier against denouncing Hamas for its routine method of using its people as human shields. Using that pseudo line of which side lost more, (asides from the unreliable figures of so called "civilians" coming from pallywood), they wrote/protested against Amnesty's report: [12] 26 March 2015, Index number: MDE 21/1178/2015: 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.)

It has been pointed out, one might imagine, what would have happened, if Israel would, even once, albeit not go as far as to behave like its Arab Palestinian or Hezbollah side that actively aim at civilians while using its own, but with its mighty weapons just haden't gone to great length ['roof knocking', developing precision 'Iron Sting' for precision preventing collateral damage various nethods] to minimize civilians from adversary territories.

It has been said: 'How the Vicious Cycle of Arab "Palestinian" or Hezbollah - Bringing About Dead Kids Can Be Diminished':

Fight the death cult! Save lives!

The vicious cycle is ever repeating. Palestinian or Hezbollah attack Israeli civilians, Israel goes after the operatives and their tools.. it tries to avoid hitting non combatants, not always successful, as the only party interested in 'dead babies' are exactly those who make sure it happens. Each and every time. As it is mostly tough, technically, to show a clear photo where exactly the Hamas, Hezbollah or P.I.Jihad guy was standing prior to being eliminated, or the place how it served the terrorists. But a 'dead' or and any bloodied body, is always powerful prey by those bloodthirsty leaders. It's the greatest recruitment plus the demonization of Israel. It shocks, it enrages. It's what they 'live' off, literally. Financially too. What if leading media outlets, especially TV stations would stop showing graphic photos? Try it. You will see a drop in Arab dead bodies. Of course it's nearly impossible, unless Hamas's friends, the Qataris Al Jazeera for example would be embarrassed facing a collective western media blackout.

We are not talking about avoiding reporting the news. But a specific temporary ban on shocking images.

As Arab-Palestinian long time human rights activist (previously working at Betselem, before it became a total anti-Israel unreliable source of sheer propaganda) asserted:

“The main difference between Israel and Hamas: Israel is using missiles to protect its people while Hamas is using its people to protect its rockets,” Eid told The Algemeiner. “Hamas does not care where these missiles land.”

Eid estimates based on his own Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip that more than 50 Palestinians died because of errant rockets by the Hamas that were targeted towards Israel but which landed in Gaza. According to the Israeli army, about 4,340 rockets were fired by Hamas toward Israel during the 11 days of hostilities, with 640 of them falling within Gaza.

Even biased NPR in its anti-Israel reporting piece (re op. Guardian of Walls) cited the fact: ...In Gaza City, fully intact buildings stood right next to where others had been flattened. One building looked like a layer cake, with one story stacked on top of the other. The nature routine and nethods, precision fighting the human shields of its enemies.

As in a nutshell, the classic example [May, 2021] described the situation:

The IDF, attempting to warn about an impending strike, pleading for the Arab man in Gaza to evacuate the building before the bombing because civilians are present. This is the conversation that took place:

- "I can’t get all of the people out I need at least two hours to get them out," the Palestinian says. 

- "Listen, we are going to bomb the building," the member of the IDF replies. 

- "You want to bomb? Bomb whatever you want," the man responds. 

- "No, brother, we need to do everything we can so you don’t die,” the IDF member says.

- "We want to die," the Palestinian answers. 

- "But you have a responsibility for children’s lives," the Israeli pushes back. 

- "If the children need to die then they’ll die," the Palestinian counters. 

- "God forbid, God forbid, what do you want, to die?!" the soldier asks. 

- "This is how we reveal your cruelty," the man responds.Sky News Arabic video showing a conversation between a Gaza Palestinian and an IDF soldier.

Action

• In 2014, a resolution was introduced in the House condemning Hamas and other terror organizations.

• In 2018, the US Senate passed bill sanctioning Hamas, Hezbollah 'human shields' practice.

• Hamas was condemned for its use of human shields by the EU in July-2014; by Amnesty International in March-2015; (a body which is rather obsessed with anti-Israelism), in April-2018 by the EU, and by the UN in June-2018. Hamas and Hezbollah were condemned by the UN in July, 2021, after Guardian of Walls.

• In August/2021, as Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel near Druze houses, in a rare courageous act against the terror group that has its grip on Lebanon via terror, Druze villagers from the southern Lebanese Druze village of Chouya, on August 6, 2021, fought the Hezbollah for firing from near their houses in order to draw fire from Israeli defenders, using the population as human shields. The scene was filmed while some shouted: "Film this! film this!, the whole world will see Hezbollah firing from our houses, to attack us." Noted as a dramatic event.

See: Druze vs Hezbollah (2021).

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  Palestinian Terrorists Use UN Ambulance (Reuters)clip

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  Hamas uses kids as human shields

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  Broadcaster, live, reacts to Hamas rocket just fired from below

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  Hamas' Hamnad: "We used women and children as human shields"Hamas explains use of human shields: "We desire death as you desire life."clip)

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  Hamas' Sinwar: "We Decided To Turn The Bodies Of Our Women And Children Into A Dam Blocking Arab Collapse"

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  Sami Abu Zuhri calls 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."

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  Announcement from the ("Palestinian") ministry of the interior to the residents of the Gaza Strip, telling them not to pay attention to IDF announcements about vacating their homes'.

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  Hamas rocket launching pad near homes

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  Hamas' Hammad appears with a toddler visiting the fence, border w Israel at "riots"

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  Hamas' Sinwar admits to placing its armed operations at civilian population

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  Hamas terror tunnel beneath UN school

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  IDF Pilot Aborting Air Strike After Spotting Children in Target Area in Gaza (during op. 'Guardian of Walls,' May/21)

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  "Palestinian" Tells Israeli Soldier ‘If Children Need to Die, Then They’ll Die’ (during op. 'Guardian of Walls' May/21)

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