The Israeli military has forced Palestinians to enter potentially booby-trapped houses and tunnels in Gaza to avoid putting its troops in harm’s way, according to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier and five former detainees who said they were victims of the practice.
  • Sundial@lemm.eeEnglish
    371·
    12 days ago

    “We told them to enter the building before us,” he explained. “If there are any booby traps, they will explode and not us.”

    It was so common in the Israeli military that it had a name: “mosquito protocol.”

    But one day this spring, the soldier said an intelligence officer showed up with two Palestinian detainees – a 16-year-old boy and 20-year-old man – and told the troops to use them as human shields before entering buildings. The intelligence officer claimed they were connected to Hamas.

    When he questioned the practice, the soldier said one of his commanders told him, “‘It’s better that the Palestinian will explode and not our soldiers.’”

    “It’s quite shocking, but after a few months in Gaza you [tend not to] think clearly,” the soldier said. “You’re just tired. Obviously, I prefer that my soldiers live. But, you know, that’s not how the world works.”

    Wow. Just wow. We’ve literally gone full circle since the Nazis started dehumanizing Jews and using them for their own sick twisted gains.

    • FMT99@lemmy.worldEnglish
      331·
      12 days ago

      For years if not decades Israeli hardliners have been using Nazi style rhetoric describing Palestinians as subhuman. It’d be a joke if it wasn’t so horrifying.

    • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      73·
      12 days ago

      It would be full circle if zios were attacking germans. It’s actually just a straight line from the jewish holocaust to the palestinian holocaust.

  • PugJesus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    301·
    12 days ago

    Every accusation is a confession, etc etc. Israel is running the terrorist playbook they want you to believe is the sole domain of Hamas.

    • P_P@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      19·
      12 days ago

      It’s the fascist playbook. Accuse the other side of doing what you are doing to give you cover.

      It’s what Putin does, it’s what Orban does, it’s what Trump does, and it’s what Netanyahu does.

      These are some dark days.

  • Milk_Sheikh@lemm.eeEnglish
    7·
    11 days ago

    This activity unfortunately has a long history in the occupied territories.

    Palestinians were forced to remove suspicious objects from roads, tell other Palestinians to come out and surrender themselves, physically shield soldiers while they fired, and more. In 2005, the High Court of Justice ruled the practice unlawful, yet… in most cases, no one was held accountable