Israeli soldiers use 'Palestinian as human shield' in West Bank raid
Israeli soldiers appeared in live footage using a purportedly Palestinian man as a human shield during a raid on Wednesday on the Qalandiya refugee camp, located between Ramallah and Jerusalem.
In live coverage of the raid by Al Jazeera, a man is seen being frogmarched by an Israeli soldier and then made to stand near a group of soldiers as they conduct searches in nearby buildings.
The man, who is chained and wearing a face mask, appears to be dressed in an Israeli military coat, body armour and a soldier's helmet.
While Israel's bombardment of Gaza has been in the spotlight since the conflict began on 7 October, the Israeli military has also significantly increased its activity in the occupied West Bank in recent months.
The use of human shields, whether prisoners of war or civilians, is banned under international law.
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According to the International Committee of the Red Cross: "Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, 'utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations' constitutes a war crime in international armed conflicts."
شاهد مراسل الجزيرة يرصد لحظة اعتقال قوات الاحتلال لشاب فلسطيني ووضعه كدرع بشري أمامهم أثناء اقتحام مخيم قلنديا شمال القدس المحتلة #حرب_غزة #الأخبار pic.twitter.com/Tg1oUH9Idl
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) January 31, 2024
The incident in Qalandiya, if confirmed, is not the first time the Israeli army has used human shields.
In May, Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) reported that Israel had used five children, including two toddlers, as human shields during a raid at a refugee camp near Jericho in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians have long complained of such human rights violations by the Israeli army, and have accused the occupying forces of routine humiliation.
In one recent incident, Israeli soldiers filmed themselves forcing Palestinian prisoners on a coach to chant "We want to be slaves".
In another, a Palestinian civilian told Middle East Eye that he was used as a human shield by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip after being bound and strapped with explosives, before being forced into a tunnel suspected to be used by Hamas.
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