Human shield - Knowledge

4730:. March 2020. Legislation that spotlights and sanctions the use of human shields – also conceivably captures actors that have allowed for civilian international air travel over conflict zones. For example, Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have recently been accused of using civil air traffic over Iran as human shields after the recent downing of Ukrainian Air Flight 752 (PS752) by Iranian missiles. The New York Times reported in the aftermath of the crash, based on interviews with Guards and other officials, that 'Iranian officials feared that shutting down the airport would create mass panic ... they also hoped that the presence of passenger jets could act as a deterrent against an American attack on the airport or the nearby military base, effectively turning planeloads of unsuspecting travelers into human shields" (emphasis added). 112: 4466:"Israel has found in Lebanon enough PLO weapons to equip a massive army and to supply untold numbers of terrorist cadres ... First, the PLO consciously attacked only civilians and, secondly, the PLO used civilians as human shields to protect itself. Anyone who has been to the small country of Israel knows that there are many military targets to be easily found ... Yet, the PLO could only find those 'military' targets disguised as kibbutz nurseries, school buses, marketplaces or passenger airplanes. And the second factor that differentiates the PLO terrorist army from conventional armies is its hiding in the midst of civilian locations. Israeli troops uncovered PLO arsenals, emplacements and bases in schools, mosques, and apartment basements. According to 5098:

normally require approval from up the chain of command. The victims of these attacks were not caught in the crossfire of battles between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces, nor were they shielding militants or other legitimate targets. Many were killed when their homes were bombed while they slept. Others were going about their daily activities in their homes, sitting in their yard, hanging the laundry on the roof when they were targeted in air strikes or tank shelling. Children were studying or playing in their bedrooms or on the roof, or outside their homes, when they were struck by missiles or tank shells. Others were in the street, walking or cycling. Paramedics and ambulances were repeatedly attacked while rescuing the wounded or recovering the dead

4779:. "Almost one year after Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls in Chibok, Nigeria, the Islamic terror group abducted as many as 500 women and children to use as human shields. Nigerian official Mike Omeri, the director of the National Orientation Agency, could not confirm exactly how many people were kidnapped from Damasak, Nigeria. 'Some say 500, some 400, some say 300,' Omeri acknowledged. He said he was waiting for information from authorities in Damasak, a trading town near the Niger border that had been retaken from the Islamic extremists. According to Omeri, as multinational troops advanced on the town, Boko Haram retreated, taking hostages with them, but they remain in the region with their human shields." 3233:. The report outlines that according to the NGO's own findings, the human rights violations "include deliberate, indiscriminate, and disproportionate attacks on civilians, hostage taking, and use of human shields". This is concluded in the report's own recommendations to the LTTE, stating that the use of human shields as well as the placing of military targets near civilian populations being a war crime as per the International Humanitarian Law found in IHL. Sri Lankan government's Maxwell Paranagama Commission stated that the LTTE was principally responsible for the loss of civilian life during the 2176: 2891: 3188:, several days before his death in which he described the Israeli bombardment, writing "The closest artillery has landed within two meters of our position and the closest 1,000 lb aerial bomb has landed 100 meters from our patrol base. This has not been deliberate targeting, but rather due to tactical necessity". MacKenzie interpreted this language for a reporter: "What that means is, in plain English, 'We've got Hezbollah fighters running around in our positions, taking our positions here and then using us for shields and then engaging the (Israeli Defence Forces). 3300: 3166:. Human Rights Watch conducted its own investigation and reported that Hezbollah did not "deliberately" use civilians as a deterrent from IDF attack. HRW did however conclude Hezbollah stored weapons "in or near civilian homes" and fighters launched rockets within populated areas and near UN observers. HRW also accused Hezbollah of using Lebanese homes as sites for rocket launchers, usually without the homeowner's knowledge or permission, putting large numbers of civilians at risk. 40: 3192:" A senior UN official, replying about Major Hess-von Kruedener's e-mail concerning Hezbollah's presence in the area of the UN base, said "At the time, there had been no Hezbollah activity reported in the area. So it was quite clear they were not going after other targets; that, for whatever reason, our position was being fired upon." He went on to claim that the Israelis were told where the UN base was and that it was clearly marked but they bombed it anyway. 2794: 2570:

irrational behavior." However, "the best advice the psychologists could offer was to organize yet another but considerably larger delegation comprising some forty or so people and including women and children"; Haj Ibrahim responded to the fifth delegation with "exactly the same three words"; triggering a bloody battle in which Israeli troops finally took the camp.

2202:(IV) states that "A belligerent is forbidden to compel the nationals of the hostile party to take part in the operations of war directed against their own country". The 1915 report says "If it be not permissible to compel a man to fire on his fellow citizens, neither can he be forced to protect the enemy and to serve as a living screen". 3455:, a 26-year-old man captured by the Indian Army was tied to the front of a Jeep belonging to Indian Army as a column of Indian troops was moving through a locality. The man was reportedly tied to the vehicle to dissuade other Kashmiri insurgents from hurling stones at the Indian troops. The man was accused of being involved in 3643:

to remain in their homes as "human shields" for fighters, munitions, or military equipment" as "human shields". According to the 3 definitions in the header of this article the 'volunteers to protect Palestinians' make them not "human shields outside the battlefield" but protesters or ordinary pro-Palestinian demonstrants.

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to describe their work, preferring it be used only to refer to when armed combatants uses civilians as shields. Not even Amnesty International defines volunteer activist's actions or activist's actions for non-military property as "human shields", and regards only the direction of "specific civilians

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Amnesty International investigated claims made by Israel in the 2008–2009 Gaza War and the 2014 Gaza War that Hamas employed human shields, and said that "storing munitions in civilian buildings or launching attacks from the vicinity of civilian buildings" and public statements directing civilians to

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officer who was prepared to give the defenders his professional assessment of Ein Hilweh's grave military situation", and an offer by Mordechai to "meet personally with" Haj Ibrahim were also rebuffed, "a team of psychologists ... was flown to Sidon to advise the command on how to deal with such

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figures were sent to persuade Haj Ibrahim's fighters that "their cause was hopeless, and whoever was willing to lay down his arms would be allowed to leave the camp unharmed." None of the delegations were successful; the first was prevented from approaching the fighters by "a spray of bullets", while

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Amnesty International wrote as of 2014 that it does not have evidence at this point that Palestinian civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to 'shield' specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks" and

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of using residents of towns as human shields when advancing on opposition held areas, forcing them to march in front of the army. Witness from different towns across the country said that the army had kidnapped people and forced them to march in front of them when attacking towns and villages. The

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pilots targeted the Japanese warship, but had to release the bombs at a much lower altitude than they usually trained for due to low cloud ceiling, and did not properly reset their bomb sights, which resulted in two of the 1,100 lb bombs falling short and landing on the adjacent International

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They would "go down to Acre jail and borrow say five rebels, three rebels, and you'd sit them on the bonnet, so the guy up in the hill could see an Arab on the truck so he wouldn't blow it… If was unlucky the truck coming up behind would hit him. But nobody bothered to pick the bits up. They were

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states that involuntary shields "retain their legal and moral protection from intentional, unnecessary, and disproportionate harm." He argues against the position of the United States Department of Defense (as well as the United Kingdom and some scholars) that attackers may discount or disregard

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100 Gazans died for every Israeli, and the civilian ratio was 400 Gazans to 1 Israeli. Israeli spokesmen explained the difference by alleging that Hamas used civilians as shields. It has been argued that no evidence has come to light proving these claims. Amnesty International investigated the

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The attacks that caused the greatest number of fatalities and injuries were carried out with long-range high-precision munitions fired from combat aircraft, helicopters and drones, or from tanks stationed up to several kilometres away – often against pre selected targets, a process that would

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was surrounded by Israeli forces as the last stronghold of Palestinian militants in southern Lebanon, but "Soldiers of Allah" militants commanded by the Muslim fundamentalist Haj Ibrahim refused to surrender: Their motto was "Victory or death!" Over a two-day period, Israeli forces under the

3611:. Ultimately, Human Shield Action brought 200 people to Iraq. Many of them left as they ran out of money and the likelihood of war became greater. Several of these human shields had to be rescued by U.S. Marines after Iraqis threatened them for opposing the invasion of their country. 2163:, discuss "proximate shields", humans as shields merely due to proximity to belligerents and assert that this type has become "by far the most prominent type of shield in contemporary discourse". They say that the proximate shielding accusation has been used by States to cover-up 2561:

the third "returned with the most harrowing tale of all": "Militiamen were shooting civilians who tried to escape. In one particularly grisly incident, three children were shot because their father had suggested calling an end to the fighting." After a delegation of Palestinian

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have stated that ample evidence exists in conflicts after that date that Israel has employed Palestinians as human shields. According to B'tselem, the practice goes back to 1967. In 2010, two Israeli soldiers were convicted of using for using a Palestinian boy during the

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June 17, 2021. "Despite repeated claims by both Israel and the United States, there is absolutely no evidence that any of the more than 3,000 Palestinian civilians killed in Israeli military operations against Gaza since 2008 were a result of Hamas using human

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James Pamment, Vladimir Sazonov, Francesca Granelli, Sean Aday, Māris Andžāns, Una Bērziņa-Čerenkova, John-Paul Gravelines, Mils Hills, Irene Martinez-Sanchez, Mariita Mattiisen, Holger Molder, Yeganeh Morakabati, Aurel Sari, Gregory Simons, Jonathan Terra,

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purpose of this was to protect the army from attack. HRW said "The Syrian army should immediately stop this abhorrent practice." Witnesses stated that the army forcibly used children and elderly people as well to deter anyone from firing on the soldiers.

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launched air strikes against Bosnian Serb positions. In retaliation, Bosnian Serb forces captured UN personnel within their areas of operation and used them as human shields at sites expected to be bombed. In a similar situation to what had happened in

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According to law professor Eliav Lieblich, "Armed groups might be responsible for harm that they occasion to civilians under their control. But to argue that this absolves the other party from responsibility is to get both law and morality wrong."

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U.S. Army Cavalry Scout Scott Ewing, who served in Iraq in the 2005–2006 period, stated that U.S. troops would give candy to Iraqi children so they would stay around their vehicles, thereby making more likely that enemies would not attack them.

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According to various accounts, including that of the American ambassador to the U.N., the Taliban used women and children from their own population as human shields against coalition forces in 2006, 2007, and 2008, during the

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In one case, military engineering equipment used to traverse rivers, including mobile bridge sections, was located in several villages near an important crossing point. The Iraqis parked each vehicle adjacent to a civilian

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The Iraqi government moved significant amounts of military weapons and equipment into civilian areas with the deliberate purpose of using innocent civilians and their homes as shields against attacks on legitimate military

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Iraqi fighter and bomber aircraft were dispersed into villages near the military airfields where they were parked between civilian houses and even placed immediately adjacent to important archaeological sites and historic

3238: 6575: 5932: 5872: 4666: 5191: 3507:, the UN, EU, US, Israel, and other European countries. Hamas has been accused of using schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure to hide weaponry and fighters. On 31 October 2023, IDF spokesman 4464:

United States Policy Toward Lebanon-relief and Rehabilitation Assistance... By United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. 1983. United States Congress. House Committee on Foreign Affairs

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On 4 December 2009, terrorists attacked a Friday prayer ceremony in a mosque in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, where Bilal Riaz, a graduate student, acted as a human shield to save his nephew's life.

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were filmed meeting Hussein, and kept with him to deter any targeted attacks, whilst others were held in or near military and industrial targets. He used both Westerners and Iraqi civilians.

5681: 4701: 2377:, when the Germans took 140 civilians and used them as shields to cross a bridge while under fire by Belgian forces. As the battle progressed, German soldiers began executing hostages. 6402:

Amid Increasingly Dire Humanitarian Situation in Gaza, Secretary-General Tells Security Council Hamas Attacks Cannot Justify Collective Punishment of Palestinian People – Press Release

77: 4760:"Garneau calls on Iran to explain why it didn't ground aircraft following missile attack. New York Times report alleges Iran kept airspace open to discourage American counterattack" 3108:, stated, "Even if Hamas uses civilians as human shields, those civilians are entitled to full protection under international law unless they directly participate in the fighting". 5897: 73: 3638:, who died in 2003 and 2004 respectively have been described as "human shields" campaigning against house demolition. ISM, however, strongly takes offence at the use of the term 4836: 4514:,. Central Intelligence Agency. February 26, 2003. "Over the past 15 years, Iraqi President Saddam Husayn has employed several variations of a 'human shields' tactic ..." 2167:

against civilian populations and that human rights organizations frequently fail to question this charge which they claim is being improperly used to justify civilian deaths.

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has noted how Israel has used the charge as part of its 'infowar' on social media, to explain the high ratio of civilian vs military casualties in its conflict with Gaza. In

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The Israeli Defense Forces have been accused of using Palestinians as human shields. On 17 January 2024, Israeli soldiers were recorded using a Palestinian shop-owner in

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by forcing the city mayor, Suleiman Abdul Razzaq Tuqan, to sit exposed on the roof of a garrison building under fire, as a 'high-value human shield'. Tuqan returned his

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Coalition aircraft were fired upon by anti-aircraft weapons in residential neighborhoods in various cities. In Baghdad, anti-aircraft sites were located on hotel roofs.

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systematically bombed medical facilities in Ethiopia operated by various Red Cross societies. Italy accused Ethiopia of using hospitals to hide weapons and fighters.

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further saying that "Under international humanitarian law even if “human shields” are being used Israel’s obligations to protect these civilians would still apply."

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militants using human shields in Iraq: In 2016, Islamic State militants rounded up thousands of villagers at gunpoint to use as human shields. And in April 2017 in

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countries who were in Iraq for use as human shields in an attempt to deter nations from participating in military operations against the country. A number of these

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there is a double standard, with Israel blaming Hamas for using human shields whereas the Israeli civilians living near military bases, including those in central

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in Syria, most notably was in 2019 as reported by SDF: The jihadists were using the civilians as human shields to block. The civilians were "on the front lines".

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When the Japanese were concerned about the incoming Allied air raids on their home islands as they were losing their controlled Pacific islands one by one to the

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repeatedly announced "Whoever does not bear arms will not be harmed" and urged civilians in the camp to evacuate, but few did. Three delegations of prominent

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incidents which resulted in the largest number of civilian casualties, finding that these casualties were not the result of human shielding. During the

61:(or a group of non-combatants) who either volunteers or is forced to shield a legitimate military target in order to deter the enemy from attacking it. 6045: 3683: 6554: 6535: 3515:

as a tragic consequence of war and accused Hamas of using the local population as human shields, noting that civilians had been warned to move south.

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In April 2020, it was reported that Nicolas Maduro had imprisoned hundreds of opposition members to use as human shields in a potential US invasion.

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denouncing Iraq for having "intentionally placed civilians at risk through its behavior". The report cited the following examples of such behavior:

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at Indian troops. The Government of India stated that it would stand by the officer who took the decision to use the insurgent as a human shield.

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said that "The very fact that we have seen 44 soldiers killed in and almost 11,000 civilians gives an indication that the calculation of

2535:, Christian Lebanese militias alleged that the Palestinians at Tel al-Zaatar were using Lebanese families inside the camp as human shields. 5967: 2943:

also questioned why Iran let civilian aircraft in its airspace, and suggested Iran intended to use the civilian aircraft as human shields.

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Reports on the Violation of the Rights of Nations and of the Laws and Customs of War in Belgium (Report). London: Harrison and Sons. 1915.

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desist from the practice of using Palestinians as human shields, and in October outlawed the procedure. The independent human rights NGOs

6234: 5894: 5645:. March 19, 2011. "At Qaddafi's compound, hundreds of supporters offered themselves up as human shields, cheering to newly minted dance." 4568: 3519: 4642: 4071: 2366:

in Poland on 7 August 1944, the Nazis forced civilian women onto the armored vehicles as human shields to enhance their effectiveness.

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from bombing certain locations. Of about 200 to 500 human shields who traveled to Iraq before hostilities, at least eighty stayed.

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Under Scrutiny: Allegations of Use of Human Shields by Palestinian Armed Groups and the International Criminal Court Investigation

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and used civilian airliners - along with their passengers and crew - as human shields in an attempt to avoid retaliatory strikes

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Adam Borkiewicz: Powstanie warszawskie. Zarys działań natury wojskowej. Warszawa: Instytut wydawniczy PAX, 1969, p. 99

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collateral harm in determining proportionality and states that these views are "legally baseless and morally unsound".

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In recent years civilians have volunteered to serve as "human shields" to prevent military conflict. In January 2003,

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of the armed conflict through their action to use fleeing Tamil civilians as Human Shields clearly differing with the

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According to the Pakistan Army spokesman, Islamic militants used girls as human shields in Pakistan during the 2007

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In 2014, a report noted that Myanmar's army abducts civilians and forces them to act as guides and human shields.

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agreed to act as "human shields" during the annual olive harvest to protect Palestinian villages from settlers.

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research, the strategic use of human shields by groups like Hamas hinges on exploiting Israel's aim to minimize

6449: 5950: 5523: 4987: 4929: 4808: 4690:"The Resolution of African Conflicts: The Management of Conflict Resolution & Post-conflict Reconstruction" 4298: 4037: 3460: 3181: 2895: 2815: 1679: 2844: 6479: 4470:, June 14, Israeli soldiers in one engagement, were attacked by PLO fighters disguised as hospital patients." 4069:'When Palestinians Became Human Shields: Counterinsurgency, Racialization, and the Great Revolt (1936–1939),' 3989: 3500: 3480: 3446: 2811: 2692:

stressed that he would have committed the attacks even if his own children were being used as human shields.

2420: 2341: 2215: 2096: 1543: 31: 17: 5071: 3915: 6708: 6158: 5058: 4702:"Kuala Lumpur, eight Islamic militants arrested: they recruited children as 'human shields' for Abu Sayyaf" 2033: 732: 492: 6713: 5753:"Turkey and Saudi Arabia alarm the West by backing Islamist extremists the Americans had bombed in Syria" 4172: 3604: 3121: 2826: 2523:, North Korean forces were claimed to have used captured U.S. soldiers as human shields while advancing. 2309:

Settlement (one failing to explode) and killing at least 950 Chinese civilians, foreigners and refugees.

2302: 2260: 2043: 1230: 1027: 898: 436: 6718: 3600: 3421:, Russian soldiers held over 300 Ukrainian civilians as human shields in the basement of the school of 2903: 2412: 2211: 1507: 5655: 5332: 6703: 5836: 5581: 3471:

Rupees as compensation to the man used as human shield. Jammu and Kashmir government refused to pay.

3422: 3089: 3049: 2756: 1617: 1125: 469: 343: 177: 6598: 2411:. Historians argued that this meant Japan was using its civilians as human shields to protect their 6235:"EU nations condemn Hamas for what they describe as use of hospitals, civilians as 'human shields'" 3131: 2701: 2068: 1935: 1482: 1175: 988: 836: 5734: 5466: 3800: 3130:, a group of people chose to travel to Iraq to act as human shields. Their purpose was to prevent 2593:

in the 1970s, an account tells that throughout the conflict, the military burned the homes of the

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Antoni Przygoński: Powstanie warszawskie w sierpniu 1944 r. T. I. Warszawa: PWN, 1980, p. 242.

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media reported that Houthi rebels blocked food from reaching civilians used as human shields.

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on 8 January 2020. It has been speculated that Iran didn't close its civil airspace following

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and argued that there was not enough barbed wire—as a result, this plan was not implemented.

2252: 1477: 1410: 1363: 1012: 975: 938: 856: 808: 692: 502: 295: 199: 6622: 6210:"Secretary-General's press conference on the Middle East | United Nations Secretary-General" 4634: 4006: 3964: 3840: 5344: 5280:"Iraq War Vet: 'We Were Told to Just Shoot People, and the Officers Would Take Care of Us'" 4871:"Myanmar's army still abducts civilians and forces them to act as guides and human shields" 3668: 3216: 3105: 1868: 1770: 1627: 1622: 1440: 1405: 1140: 955: 813: 749: 603: 573: 150: 6680: 5490: 5296: 5088: 3229:

civilians from fleeing out of rebel held area and using them as human shields against the

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have been known to use human shields in their war in Yemen at least since 2016, as from a

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The charge has been leveled against Palestinian groups frequently by numerous observers.

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The Israeli use of human shields was formally challenged in September 2004, when Justice

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Exclusive: U.N. report on Yemen says Houthis used human shields, Islamic State got cash"

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Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.

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were accused of using civilian aircraft and their passengers and crew as human shields.

6376:"בגן שעשועים ובבריכות ילדים: כך חמאס משתמש באזרחים כמגן אנושי לצורכי טרור | ישראל היום" 6298:"Biden says Hamas using innocent Gazans as human shields; phones Netanyahu, PA's Abbas" 5791: 5641: 5308: 5247: 5039: 4919: 4745: 4291: 4228: 4010: 4002: 3527: 3429:

found "clear evidence" of Russian troops using Ukrainian civilians as human shields in

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if civilian casualties occur or to protect its assets and continue operations if the

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In 2018, the Houthis were accused by the Yemenite government of use of human shields

2553: 2444: 2432: 2423:(USAAF) was unable to strike purely military targets due to the limitations of their 2381: 2121: 2089: 1998: 1945: 1848: 1838: 1833: 1803: 1786: 1781: 1754: 1699: 1400: 1390: 1385: 1375: 1295: 1285: 1280: 1255: 1225: 1115: 1085: 1080: 1070: 1060: 1050: 965: 918: 888: 727: 520: 497: 431: 6159:"10 Lakh Compensation to man used as Human Shield – J&K Human Rights Commission" 5933:"Islamic State militants are kidnapping thousands of people to use as human shields" 2058: 6641: 5424: 3984: 3976: 3526:

and the sensitivity of Western public opinion. This tactic allowed Hamas to either

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In 1991, during the operations in the Gulf War, the U.S. submitted a report to the

2544: 2388:, Japanese soldiers often used civilians as human shields against American troops. 2148: 2063: 2028: 1960: 1853: 1791: 1684: 1612: 1605: 1462: 1395: 1345: 1335: 1210: 1130: 1090: 1075: 1037: 1022: 893: 878: 831: 739: 697: 640: 635: 593: 416: 393: 285: 209: 138: 121: 6681:"Document - Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Israel/Gaza conflict" 4225:

Rockets from Gaza: Harm to Civilians from Palestinian Armed Groups' Rocket Attacks

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In 2016, it was reported the group kidnapped schoolgirls "used as human shield".

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Nato Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, 5 June 2019 pp.147–169, 152

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is credited with creating the concept of human shield as a tool of resistance.

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Berger statement to Allied intelligence officers, Nuremberg, October 19, 1945.

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War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine § Use of human shields

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and later SS forces extensively used Polish civilians as human shields during

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South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: United States Army in the Korean War

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has been accused of turning to civilians for "human shields" against the US.

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settlers as human shields on the land of the Jummas near the military camps.

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Winter Soldier, Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations

5112:"US law requires Biden to impose sanctions on Hamas for using human shields" 3916:"Proximate 'human shields' and the challenge for humanitarian organizations" 3221:

According to a Human Rights Watch report published on 19 February 2009, the

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post in southern Lebanon, resulting in four deaths. One of the fatalities,

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Advancement of Human Rights in India: Contemporary and Emerging Challenges

5467:"Pakistan's Red Mosque Showdown: Jihadists Using Girls as Human Shields?" 5051: 4983: 4955: 4027: 3933:

Convention respecting the laws and customs of war on land (1907): Parties

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civilians as human shields to dissuade the IDF from firing at gunmen and

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War on Terror Encyclopedia: From the Rise of Al-Qaeda to 9/11 and Beyond

4481:"Tourism and state violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh" 2369:

In Belgium in May 1940, at least 86 civilians were killed by the German

2230:, Arab civilians and rebels who were captured by the British during the 4430: 3554: 2952: 2818: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 2768: 2408: 2235: 2133: 1950: 1920: 1642: 1006: 6416:"What is a human shield and how has Hamas been accused of using them?" 6317:"What is a human shield and how has Hamas been accused of using them?" 5837:"Caged and in danger: Syrian soldiers become human shields for rebels" 5089:"Israel/Gaza: Operation "Cast Lead": 22 days of death and destruction" 4969:"Israeli Soldiers Convicted of Using Palestinian Boy as Human Shield," 2705: 2616:. According to a CIA report, he used the tactics at least since 1988. 2487:

used civilians as hostages and human shields in its fight against the

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anti-Assad rebels were accused of using civilian residents of towns,

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has abducted some 500 women and children to serve as human shields.

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as a weapon of resistance. Human shields have also been used in the

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The concept of human shields as a resistance measure was created by

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was issued, and by the 24th, most of the Serb troops had complied.

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in Japan's cities. This led the USAAF in early 1945 to switch from

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ISIS has ideologically justified use of Muslims as human shields.

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On 14 August 1937, in what would become the first major battle of

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reacted to Palestinian rebel attacks against British positions in

5184:"More Than 100 Members of This Gaza Clan Have Been Killed in War" 5072:

Have ‘Human Shields’ Accusations Become an Excuse for War Crimes?

4986:, Nicola Perugini, 'Info-war: The Gaza Wars and Social Media,' , 4812: 4663:"Taliban 'used civilians as human shields' when British attacked" 3673: 3535: 3159: 2966: 2649: 2476: 2404: 2301:; it is believed in what would become known as "Black Saturday", 1965: 1925: 1689: 1523: 1519: 861: 846: 722: 383: 378: 348: 267: 229: 27:

Non-combatants placed around a target to discourage enemy attacks

5863:"Syrian rebels using caged civilian captives as 'human shields'" 4346:"Algeria: Renewed calls for France to recognize colonial crimes" 2700:

Shortly after the cease-fire between Croat and Serb forces, the

2597:, carried out mass killings and rape of Jumma women, and placed 6517:"Palestinian shop-owner used as human shield by Israeli forces" 6350:"צה"ל חושף: כך חמאס משתמש בילדים כמגן אנושי לצרכי טרור | תיעוד" 5994:"A Ukrainian village tries to make sense of Russian occupation" 5914:"Trapped in shrinking Syria holdout, IS turns to human shields" 4887:"Maduro recurre a los civiles para 'escudos humanos' contra EU" 3538:', using legal and public platforms to challenge an adversary. 3283: 2936: 2633: 2504: 2484: 2333: 2256: 1472: 868: 685: 421: 5904:. International Observatory of Human Rights. February 4, 2019. 4508:"Putting Noncombatants at Risk: Saddam's Use of 'Human Shields 4108: 3534:

limits its military response. This approach is an example of '

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in large German cities, to act as human shields against their

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Alfred G. Nhema, Tiyambe Zeleza, Paul Tiyambe Zeleza (2008).

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One of the most well-known uses of human shields occurred in

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condemned the use of human shields by organizations such as

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that he had been used as a human shield by Israeli forces.

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Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper

6020:"Ukraine War: 'Russian soldiers held us as human shields'" 2511:

suburb with a human shield of Kurdish women and children.

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Herbert David Croly: "The New Republic", Vol. 203, 1990,

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civilians and captured Syrian soldiers as human shields.

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Attacks on health facilities during the Israel–Hamas war

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used children as human shields, porters, and laborers.

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The practice began on 24 September 1936 when Brigadier

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Coughlin, Jack; Kuhlman, Casey; and, Donald A. Davis.

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Orde Kittrie, Opinion Contributor (October 18, 2023).

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