A report published by the New York Times condemned the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields by the Zionist occupation forces during their ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip. The article noted that at least 11 military units in five cities within the Palestinian enclave have compelled civilians to perform tasks such as searching for explosives or inspecting tunnels from within, ostensibly to protect their soldiers from danger.
The American newspaper quoted a 17-year-old boy who recounted how soldiers abducted him from his family and forced him to walk in front of them while handcuffed, tasked with searching for explosives before being released.
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the State Department, described the report as “incredibly disturbing,” asserting that “there can be no justification ever for the use of civilians as human shields.”
In late June, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory (Euro-Med Monitor) had already denounced the Zionist forces’ use of Palestinian civilians as human shields amid the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip. According to the organization, these practices reflect the occupation’s intention to “collectively punish the Palestinian people with the aim of eliminating, intimidating, and/or inflicting physical and psychological harm.”
