In Gaza, almost every IDF platoon keeps a human shield, a sub-army of Palestinian slaves | Opinion
www.haaretz.com
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In Gaza, human shields are used by Israeli soldiers at least six times a day.

I served in Gaza for nine months, and first came across these procedures, called “mosquito protocol” in December 2023. It was only two months into the ground offensive, long before there was a shortage of dogs from the IDF’s canine unit, Oketz, who were used for this purpose. This became the insane, unofficial excuse for this insane, unofficial procedure. I didn’t realize then how ubiquitous using human shields, whom we referred to as a “shawish,” would become.

Today, almost every platoon keeps a “shawish,” and no infantry force enters a house before a “shawish” clears it. This means there are four “shawishes” in a company, twelve in a battalion, and at least 36 in a brigade. We operate a sub-army of slaves.

I recently saw that the IDF’s Military Police Criminal Investigation Division opened six investigations into the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields, and my jaw dropped. I’ve seen cover-ups before, but this is a new low.

If the MPCID wanted to do its job seriously, it would have to open far more than even a thousand investigations. But all the MPCID wants is for us to be able to tell ourselves and the world that we’re investigating ourselves, so they’ve found six scapegoats and are pinning it all on them.

  • LMDNW@lemm.ee
    422·
    30 days ago

    IDF are akin to Nazi soldiers. They and their leadership deserve the same punishments as was meted out at the end of WWII. “Just following orders” is not a legal justification for war crimes. You have a legal obligation to not follow unlawful orders.

    Kill your leaders if it means that’s the only way to not commit war crimes. Why this isn’t a widely adopted belief is a testament to why humanity is a lost cause.

    • Grapho@lemmy.ml
      2·
      28 days ago

      Nah, they deserve worse. The Nazis didn’t get punished, they got jobs. A few figureheads got the chopping block but most of the actual torturers, rapists, murderers, kidnappers got away scot-free west of the Berlin wall. The US is already doing what they did to the Nazis, shower them with money, find them jobs they need such monsters for.

  • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
    25·
    29 days ago

    We’ve known about this disgusting policy for years. It’s a war crime. Anyone who complains about hostages has to condemn this in order to be taken seriously or should shut up forever.

  • qaz@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    29 days ago

    For other people who didn’t know what Haaretz was:

    Haaretz (Hebrew: הָאָרֶץ, lit. ‘The Land [of Israel]’; originally Ḥadshot Haaretz – Hebrew: חַדְשׁוֹת הָאָרֶץ, IPA: [χadˈʃot haˈʔaʁets], lit. ‘News of the Land [of Israel]’) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew and English in the Berliner format, and is also available online. In North America, it is published as a weekly newspaper, combining articles from the Friday edition with a roundup from the rest of the week. Haaretz is Israel’s newspaper of record. It is known for its left-wing and liberal stances on domestic and foreign issues.

    As of 2022, Haaretz has the third-largest circulation in Israel. It is widely read by international observers, especially in its English edition, and discussed in the international press. According to the Center for Research Libraries, among Israel’s daily newspapers, “Haaretz is considered the most influential and respected for both its news coverage and its commentary.”

    Wikipedia | Haaretz

  • FriendBesto@lemmy.ml
    27·
    24 days ago

    Are there any other sources that you may know about this? This is a huge claim and one that we would benefit to have more of, as far as it can be backed up from multiple sources.

    Anyone have say, video of this?

    Edit: Literally, why am I getting downvoted? Because I ask for extra proof for my own sake, which is the reasonable thing to do? Relax. No wonder some people think that some on our side are crazy.

    Thanks to the kind poster who took my question seriously and provide links. Thank you.