Human shields!
The definition of “human shields” is this:
“Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
plural noun: human shields
- a person or group of people held near a potential target to an deter attack.”
There are reports that the Palestinians put military equipment and installations around civilians, in school and hospitals – even if they did, that is not the same as using civilians as “human shields”.
Under International law, no country has a right to then kill civilians, knowing it will be killing civilians.
That is not collateral either – it is de-facto targeted murder – precisely what Israel says the Palestinians did on the 7th of October.
Look at it this way, and let me simplify an analogy – if you are a “terrorist” and you hold 5 innocent people in front of you and fire at me – and I fire through the 5 civilians to get to you – then I will go to prison for a very long time for killing those 5 to get to you. This is the law in the UK and in every country I know of, and it is the law of war under international law; Geneva Convention (look up articles on protecting civilians and proportionality).
There are no human shields in Palestine – that’s a myth – motivated by self-interest and peddled by extremist Zionists to justify genocide.
Under international law, it is forbidden to use hospitals and schools for “military” purposes, but just because Hamas reportedly does that, it doesn’t mean they are using “human shields” by any professional definition.
Even if they did, and if we are honest, then where else do we really expect them to put them when Israel and the general wider community doesn’t allow them to have military, or such facilities or hardware to protect their military equipment.
Not to mention how densely populated Gaza is, making it nigh on impossible to have anything too far away form civilians or some civilian infrastructure or another.
Having said all that, Israel still has a choice whether to kill civilians or not to kill civilians – that is on them. No matter what the Palestinians do, ultimately they still have a choice.
They choose to kill civilians.
It is also clear under international law, that two wrongs cannot make a right.
