Palestinians describe being used as ‘human shields’ by Israeli troops in Gaza

Ramez al-Skafi said he was used as a human shield against booby-traps and Hamas gunmen.

He was one of three Palestinians interviewed by the Guardian who said they had been used by units of the Israel Defense Forces .

The use of prisoners as human shields is a clear violation of the Geneva conventions and is expressly prohibited under Israeli law.

Whistleblower testimony given to the Israeli dissident group BTS suggests the use of human shields is rife.

The accounts provided by Skafi and other former Palestinian detainees in Gaza generally confirm the accounts given by Israeli soldiers to other media and activist groups.

In one recent incident, a Palestinian “shawish” grabbed hold of an IDF soldier’s gun and in the ensuing struggle shot the soldier in the foot, before the Palestinian was killed by other soldiers in the unit.

Bill van Esveld , Human Right Watch’s associate director for children’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa , said: “There is this repeated history of well documented accounts by UN bodies, as well as by human rights groups, and indications of Israeli awareness of the problem, but no action. “It’s no surprise that this longstanding problem would persist.”.