The United States has described reports of Israeli forces allegedly using Palestinians as human shields in the Gaza war as “incredibly troubling”, following an exposé by The New York Times.
According to the American newspaper, Israeli military units deployed in five Palestinian towns reportedly forced civilians to perform tasks such as searching for explosives or inspecting Hamas tunnels, ostensibly to protect soldiers.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “If the facts presented in this article are accurate, they are completely unacceptable”.
He emphasised that nothing could justify using civilians as human shields, adding that such actions could violate both international humanitarian law and the Israeli military’s own code of conduct.
Miller referred to an ongoing investigation within the Israeli military ranks.
“Even if there is an investigation, if they find violations, people need to be held accountable, and they need to take steps to ensure these practices are not repeated”, he stressed.
The New York Times specifically cited a teenager, then 17, who claimed Israeli soldiers forced him to walk handcuffed in front of them to search for explosives before releasing him without charges.
The United States has expressed concern about the conduct of the war in Gaza and the treatment of civilians since Israel launched its operation a year ago in response to Hamas’s attack.
These statements have rarely had consequences, although President Joe Biden did freeze a shipment of billions of dollars worth of weapons destined for Israel.
The United States and Israel, for their part, accuse Hamas of using civilians in Gaza as human shields.
(information from amna.gr)
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