Recent investigations have revealed that Israeli soldiers and intelligence agents, throughout the Israel-Hamas war , have regularly used Palestinian hostages as human shields to avoid putting the soldiers at risk on the battlefield.
Now an Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) soldier and five former Palestinian detainees have come out to speak about their employed tactics that endanger Palestinian civilians by using them as human shields during high-risk missions.
CNN has collected testimonies indicating the existence of a " mosquito protocol " which reportedly involves Israeli soldiers compelling Palestinian detainees to enter potentially booby-trapped locations — houses, tunnels, and other structures — ahead of the Israeli troops.
An Israeli soldier disclosed that his unit held two Palestinians captive with the sole purpose of utilising them as human shields to investigate potentially hazardous locations. According to him, this practice was common among Israeli forces operating in Gaza.
"We told them to enter the building before us," he explained. "If there are any booby traps, they will explode and not us."
The Israeli military had a specific term for this tactic -- 'mosquito protocol', with mosquito referring to the hostage.
While the full extent of this practice within the Israeli military remains unknown, the accounts provided by the soldier and five civilians indicate that it was prevalent throughout Gaza, including areas such as northern Gaza, Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
Initially, the soldier's unit, which was stationed in northern Gaza at the time, employed standard procedures before entering a suspicious building. These procedures involved sending in a dog or creating an opening in the building's side using a tank shell or an armored bulldozer.
The military, however, soon started to use the 'mosquito protocol'.
Mohammad Saad, a 20-year-old Palestinian from Jabalya, was forced to leave his home due to Israeli airstrikes earlier this year. He sought refuge in a makeshift shelter near Khan Younis, where he recounted his experience of being captured by Israeli troops near Rafah while trying to obtain food aid for himself and his younger siblings.
"They dressed us in military uniforms, put a camera on us, and gave us a metal cutter," Saad said. The Israeli soldiers instructed them to perform various tasks, such as moving carpets, filming under stairs, and searching for tunnels. If anything was found, the detainees were ordered to bring it outside. They were also told to remove belongings from houses, clean specific areas, move furniture, and open fridges and cupboards.
Saad's account is consistent with those of four other Palestinian former detainees in Gaza, who all described being captured by Israeli troops and forced to enter potentially dangerous places ahead of the military.
The Israel Defense Forces, however, have refuted the reports saying that "the orders and instructions of the IDF forbid using civilians in Gaza who were arrested in the field for military missions."
Now an Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) soldier and five former Palestinian detainees have come out to speak about their employed tactics that endanger Palestinian civilians by using them as human shields during high-risk missions.
CNN has collected testimonies indicating the existence of a " mosquito protocol " which reportedly involves Israeli soldiers compelling Palestinian detainees to enter potentially booby-trapped locations — houses, tunnels, and other structures — ahead of the Israeli troops.
An Israeli soldier disclosed that his unit held two Palestinians captive with the sole purpose of utilising them as human shields to investigate potentially hazardous locations. According to him, this practice was common among Israeli forces operating in Gaza.
"We told them to enter the building before us," he explained. "If there are any booby traps, they will explode and not us."
The Israeli military had a specific term for this tactic -- 'mosquito protocol', with mosquito referring to the hostage.
While the full extent of this practice within the Israeli military remains unknown, the accounts provided by the soldier and five civilians indicate that it was prevalent throughout Gaza, including areas such as northern Gaza, Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
Initially, the soldier's unit, which was stationed in northern Gaza at the time, employed standard procedures before entering a suspicious building. These procedures involved sending in a dog or creating an opening in the building's side using a tank shell or an armored bulldozer.
The military, however, soon started to use the 'mosquito protocol'.
Mohammad Saad, a 20-year-old Palestinian from Jabalya, was forced to leave his home due to Israeli airstrikes earlier this year. He sought refuge in a makeshift shelter near Khan Younis, where he recounted his experience of being captured by Israeli troops near Rafah while trying to obtain food aid for himself and his younger siblings.
"They dressed us in military uniforms, put a camera on us, and gave us a metal cutter," Saad said. The Israeli soldiers instructed them to perform various tasks, such as moving carpets, filming under stairs, and searching for tunnels. If anything was found, the detainees were ordered to bring it outside. They were also told to remove belongings from houses, clean specific areas, move furniture, and open fridges and cupboards.
Saad's account is consistent with those of four other Palestinian former detainees in Gaza, who all described being captured by Israeli troops and forced to enter potentially dangerous places ahead of the military.
The Israel Defense Forces, however, have refuted the reports saying that "the orders and instructions of the IDF forbid using civilians in Gaza who were arrested in the field for military missions."
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