Watan-A senior officer in a combat unit of the regular Israeli army has admitted that Israeli occupation soldiers have been routinely using Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip as human shields since the beginning of the war.
In an article written for the newspaper Haaretz—where he requested his name not be published—the officer stated that soldiers are using Palestinian civilians as human shields in Gaza at least six times a day.
He added that he served in Gaza for nine months, and first witnessed the procedure—referred to as the “Mosquito Protocol”—in December 2023.
The senior Israeli officer explained that they forced Palestinians to act as human shields because it was faster than using other available methods, such as deploying a dog, a robot, or a drone, which take more time.
He also noted that the practice is very common, and that higher-ranking field commanders have been aware of it for over a year, with no one attempting to stop it. On the contrary, it was labeled as an “operational necessity.”
International Courts
In his article, the officer revealed that almost every unit in Gaza maintained what was called a “Shawish”—a term used for a human shield. He explained that no infantry unit entered a home until the Shawish (human shield) inspected it first, meaning that each company had 4 human shields, each battalion 12, and each brigade at least 36. The officer described this as soldiers running a secondary army of “slaves.”
The senior Israeli officer pointed out that the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division has opened six investigations into the use of civilians as human shields in Gaza. However, he believes the issue is far bigger and requires an independent, state-level commission of inquiry to uncover the full truth.
He concluded his article by stating that Israel has every reason to be concerned about international courts, since the practice of using human shields is a recognized war crime—even by the army itself—and that it happens daily, far more frequently than the public is told.
Previously, Palestinian youth Hazem Alwan had shared his personal experience of being used by the Israeli army as a human shield during raids on homes and buildings in northern Gaza.
He said: “I was forced to carry out dangerous tasks, including wearing an Israeli military uniform and helmet, being equipped with a camera, and entering homes that might be booby-trapped—all under threat of physical and psychological torture—to inspect the houses before soldiers entered.”
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