'We are holding slaves': "Israeli" soldier reveals systematic use of Palestinian 'human shields' in Gaza | The Cradle

An "Israeli" soldier disclosed in a March 14 Haaretz op-ed that the military's practice of using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza is far more common than acknowledged and that a recent investigation was intended to create the false impression that such incidents are infrequent.

“I saw that six investigations were opened by the Military Police (MP) regarding the use of Palestinians as human shields, and I almost choked. I've seen cover-ups in my life, but this is a new low,” the soldier expressed.

“In Gaza, human shields are used at least six times a day. If the Military Police want to do their job seriously, they should open at least 2,190 investigations. But the MP just want to pretend to the world that we're investigating ourselves, so they find a few scapegoats and pin everything on them,” the soldier stated, following nine months of combat in the strip.

He explained that Palestinian civilians were forced to enter homes in Gaza to check for Hamas fighters or explosives and make sure it was safe for the soldiers to enter themselves. The soldiers refer to Palestinians forced to clear homes in this way as “Shawish” or “slaves.”

Sometimes, Shawish are sent to houses simply to set fire to or blow up the house.

During the first months of the "Israeli" ground invasion, soldiers primarily used dogs or robots to clear homes. However, the practice of using civilians as human shields expanded over time.

“I didn't understand back then how common it would become. Today, almost every company holds 'Shawish,' and infantry forces don't enter a house before the 'Shawish' clears it,” he explained.

This means there are at least four Palestinians held against their will as human shields in each platoon, 12 in each battalion, and 36 in each brigade.

According to the soldier, the most senior levels of the "Israeli" military in Gaza have known about human shields for more than a year, and no one tried to stop it. “On the contrary, it was defined as an operational necessity.”

“We're holding a group of slaves, and the MP are trying to cover it up with six investigations,” the soldier concluded.

The military's use of human shields story was first revealed by Haaretz in August last year. A senior military source there said that both the Chief of Staff and the outgoing Southern Command Major General knew about the procedure.