Use of human shields by Hamas

Accusations of Hamas using civilians and civilian infrastructure to shield military targets

Further information: Human shields in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Weapons discovered by IDF forces inside a mosque during a Givati and Armored Corps operation in northern Gaza, including an improvised explosive device, mortar, grenades, and ammunition—an example of militants’ use of religious sites for military purposes.

Hamas has frequently faced accusations of using human shields—placing non-combatants in the line of fire to prevent military objectives from being targeted without harming the non-combatant—throughout the Gaza–Israel conflict. Hamas has denied the accusations; while it has been found to operate in and launch attacks from civilian areas, endangering non-combatants, human rights groups say this does not equate to human shielding under international law.

According to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Hamas began using human shields during conflicts with Israel in 2007. Israel claimed that Hamas used human shields during the 2008–2009 Gaza War and the 2014 Gaza War. Amnesty International investigated and found no evidence to support these claims. They found that Hamas launched rockets from civilian areas and had urged residents to ignore Israeli evacuation warnings, but those actions do not qualify as shielding. They said that Hamas's suggestion to ignore evacuation warnings might have been intended to minimize panic and displacement. Human Rights Watch (HRW) also found no evidence that Hamas used human shields during the 2009 conflict.

During the Gaza war, Israel, other nations, and the UN Secretary-General accused Hamas of using hospitals as human shields. In 2024, HRW reported at least two incidents where Palestinian fighters appeared to have used Israeli hostages as human shields during the October 7 attacks in Kibbutz Be'eri and Nahal Oz. In November 2024, the UN reported that in most instances, Israel does not provide substantial evidence for its human shields allegations in Gaza nor could they independently verify these allegations. The UN raised concerns regarding the actions of Palestinian armed groups and their compliance with international humanitarian law with respect to locating military objectives near densely populated areas and placement of civilians in areas regarded as military objectives.

Human rights groups have noted that Israel must still abide by international law—especially the principle of proportionality—regardless if human shields were used by Hamas. Israel itself has used Palestinians as human shields, and international rights scholars have argued Israel exploits the allegations against Hamas to cover up atrocities against Palestinian civilians and pre-empt sanctions for breaches of international law.

## History of alleged usage

[edit]

Hamas has been accused of using human shields in the Gaza Strip, purposely attempting to shield itself from Israeli attacks by storing weapons in civilian infrastructure, launching rockets from residential areas, and telling residents to ignore Israeli warnings to flee. Israel has accused Hamas of maintaining command and control bunkers and tunnel infrastructure below hospitals, with some of the accusations being supported by the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations Secretary General.[1][2] Israel has said that Hamas's actions have caused Israel to kill civilians as collateral damage.[3] Hamas has denied using civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals,[4] as human shields.[5] In 2019, the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence said that Hamas began using human shields in conflicts with Israel in 2007.[6][7]

### Response by Hamas

[edit]

In 2008, a Hamas official acknowledged that the group had used human shields,[8]: 765–766 and that it is a crucial strategy during its conflicts with Israel.[9]: 98 However, in 2009, Hamas said it "did not use human shields and did not fire rockets from residential areas" during the 2008–2009 war.[10] In 2014, Hamas denied that it had used human shields, and they pointed to prior United Nations investigations of claims that it had fired rockets from schools finding the allegations to be untrue. Hamas leaders said that the extremely high population density in Gaza resulted in Hamas operating near civilian areas.[11] In a 2014 televised interview, senior Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri stated: "The policy of people confronting the Israeli warplanes with their bare chests in order to protect their homes has proven effective against the occupation... we in Hamas call upon our people to adopt this policy in order to protect the Palestinian homes."[12]

In 2023, Hamas said it did not use Al-Shifa Hospital as a human shield, saying the allegations have "no basis in truth".[13]

### Denial of civilian status

[edit]

Danny Danon, then the Israeli ambassador to the UN, said of the 2018–2019 Gaza border protests that "terrorists continue to hide behind innocent children to ensure their own survival", with Gordon and Perugini remarking that the framing of protestors as terrorists or human shields effectively "categorizes any Palestinian from Gaza who participates in civil protests as a terrorist who is consequently killable"; they find that the usage of the human shield accusation both during war and civil protest has caused the very idea of a Palestinian civilian to have "disappeared" in Israeli discourse.[14]

### 2008–2009 Gaza War

[edit]

Weapons found in a mosque during Operation Cast Lead, according to the IDF

During the 2008–2009 Gaza War, Israel destroyed numerous civilian targets, including schools, mosques, UNRWA buildings, bridges, government administration buildings, courthouses, police stations, fire stations, agricultural facilities, bird farms etc.[15] Israel claimed it attacked these areas because Hamas fighters allegedly returned fire on Israeli troops from there.[15] However, George Bisharat disputes Israel's claims.[15] Bisharat points out that the war started with an Israeli surprise attack on civilian targets, such as an attack on a graduation ceremony for a local police college, and thus there was no Hamas return fire at the time Israel attacked.[15] Israel also destroyed Gaza's industrial sector in the final days of the war, after Hamas resistance had already ended and Israeli troops had withdrawn.[15]

Amnesty International investigated Israeli claims that Hamas used human shields during the 2008–2009 Gaza War and the 2014 Gaza War but found no evidence to support these claims. During the war, Amnesty International pointed to several cases of destruction of houses, schools and mosques, which Israel said were housing ammunition; Amnesty found no example of "secondary conflagration", which would be expected if weapons were present.[15] In their report on the 2008–2009 war, Amnesty stated they found no evidence of Hamas directing civilians to shield military assets or forcing them to stay near buildings used by fighters. They did find that Hamas launched rockets from civilian areas, which endangered civilians and violated the requirement to protect civilians from military action, but this does not qualify as shielding under international law.[16] In 2014, Amnesty reported they had no evidence that Hamas or other Palestinian armed groups intentionally used civilians as shields to protect specific locations or military assets from Israeli attacks. They suggested that Hamas's urging of residents to ignore Israeli evacuation warnings might have been intended to minimize panic and displacement, rather than to use civilians as human shields.[17]

In a post-war analysis of the conflict, Amnesty International stated that: "Contrary to repeated allegations by Israeli officials of the use of "human shields", Amnesty International found no evidence that Hamas or other Palestinian fighters directed the movement of civilians to shield military objectives... [nor] that Hamas or other armed groups forced residents to stay in or around buildings used by fighters, nor that fighters prevented residents from leaving buildings or areas which had been commandeered by militants."[16] Amnesty also found that Hamas "launched rockets and located military equipment and positions near civilian homes" – though not necessarily when civilians were present – "endangering the lives of the inhabitants by exposing them to the risk of Israeli attacks".[18]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) also stated they found no evidence that Hamas used human shields during the 2009 conflict.[19] Human rights groups have said that "even if Hamas were using human shields", Israel must still abide by international law, especially the principle of proportionality.[17][20]

### 2014 Gaza War

[edit]

Numerous reports during the 2014 Gaza War stated that Hamas used human shields. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay accused Hamas militants of violating international humanitarian law by "locating rockets within schools and hospitals, or even launching these rockets from densely populated areas".[21] A UN inquiry found "weapons had been placed inside an UNRWA school in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and that it was highly likely that an unidentified Palestinian armed group could have used the school premises to launch attacks."[22][23] The European Union condemned Hamas, and in particular condemned "calls on the civilian population of Gaza to provide themselves as human shields".[24][25] In an August 2014 interview, Hamas political leader Khaled Mashal said to a CNN interviewer that the group did not use its people as human shields.[26] In a September 2014 interview, a Hamas official acknowledged to Associated Press that the group fired at Israel from civilian areas.[27] He ascribed the practice to "mistakes", but said the group had little option due to the crowded landscape of the Strip, with its dearth of open zones. He denied accusations that rockets were launched "from schools or hospitals when in fact they were fired 200 or 300 meters (yards) away".[27]

In interviews with Gazan refugees, reporters for The Independent and The Guardian concluded it was a "myth" that Hamas forced civilians to stay in areas under attack against their will; many refugees told them they refused to heed the IDF's warnings because even areas Israel had declared safe for refugees had been shelled by its forces.[28][29] The BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen also said he "saw no evidence of Hamas using Palestinians as human shields".[30] An Amnesty International document (dated 25 July 2014) asserts that they do "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".[31] Amnesty International's assessment was that international humanitarian law was clear in that "even if officials or fighters from Hamas or Palestinian armed groups associated with other factions did in fact direct civilians to remain in a specific location in order to shield military objectives from attacks, all of Israel's obligations to protect these civilians would still apply".[31] The human rights group, however, still found that Palestinian factions, as in previous conflicts, launched attacks from civilian areas.[31]

Hamas Arabic-speaking spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called up Gaza civilians on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV 8 July 2014 to stay put in areas under fire by Israel,[citation needed] prompting accusations from Israel and others – the European Union, for example[24][25] – that Hamas was calling on people to volunteer as "in effect human shields".[citation needed] For Amnesty International, however, Hamas' call may have been "motivated by a desire to avoid further panic" among civilians, considering both the lack of shelters in Gaza and the fact that some civilians who heeded the IDF's warnings had been casualties of Israeli attacks.[32] Abu Zuhri was also quoted as saying, in a 13 July interview, that "Hamas despise those defeatist Palestinians that criticize the high number of civilian casualties. The resistance praises our people... we lead our people to death...I mean, to war."[13]

During the war, Israel also damaged hospitals,[33] alleging they were concealing "hidden missiles".[34] A team of Finnish journalists from Helsingin Sanomat working at the Gaza Al-Shifa hospital reported seeing rockets fired from near the Al-Shifa hospital.[35][36] However, two Norwegian doctors who have been working at the hospital for decades have denied there was militant presence nearby, saying the last armed man they saw by the building was an Israeli doctor at the time of the First Intifada.[37] In 2014, The Guardian journalists came across "armed men" inside one hospital, and sightings of "senior Hamas leaders" have been reported inside another.[13] The Washington Post described Al-Shifa hospital as a "de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders, who can be seen in the hallways and offices".[38] French-Palestinian journalist Radjaa Abu Dagg reported being interrogated by an armed Hamas member inside Al-Shifa Hospital and ordered to leave Gaza.[39][40][41]

In 2015, The Washington Post said that an Amnesty International report condemned Palestinian militias for storing munitions in, and launching rockets from civilian structures and reported that the launching of attacks and storing of rockets "very near locations where hundreds of displaced civilians were taking shelter."[42][43] The report stated "the available evidence indicates that Palestinian armed groups fired rockets and mortars from residential areas during the July/August 2014 conflict, and that on at least some occasions, projectiles were launched in close proximity to civilian buildings...significant areas within the 365km2 of territory are not residential, and conducting hostilities or launching munitions from these areas presents a lower risk of endangering Palestinian civilians...Palestinian armed groups stored rockets and other munitions in civilian buildings and facilities, including UN schools, during the conflict... storing munitions in civilian buildings or launching attacks from the vicinity of civilian buildings, violate the obligation to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians from the effects of attacks. But they do not necessarily amount to the specific violation of using "human shields" under international humanitarian law, which entails "using the presence (or movements) of civilians or other protected persons to render certain points or areas (or military forces) immune from military operations."[44] According to Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International, "evidence suggesting that a rocket launched by a Palestinian armed group may have caused 13 civilian deaths inside Gaza underscores how indiscriminate these weapons can be and the dreadful consequences of using them". He also stated that "the devastating impact of Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians during the conflict is undeniable, but violations by one side in a conflict can never justify violations by their opponents."[43]

### 2018-2019 Gaza border protests

[edit]

Main article: 2018-2019 Gaza border protests

#### Rouzan al-Najjar

[edit]

Main article: Killing of Rouzan al-Najjar

Rouzan al-Najjar was a Palestinian nurse/paramedic who lived in Khuzaa, a village near the Gaza Strip's border with Israel.[45] Her family lived in an apartment within eyeshot of Israeli soldiers stationed over the border. Their area had a four-metre-high (13 ft) concrete wall installed to shield local residents from Israeli fire.[46]

She was killed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) while volunteering as a medic during the 2018 Gaza border protests. She was fatally hit by a bullet shot by an Israeli soldier as she tried to help evacuate the wounded near Israel's border fence with Gaza.[47][48] The IDF first denied that she was targeted, while not ruling out that she may have been hit by indirect fire.[49] Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said that al-Najjar was shot intentionally.[50]

After her death, the IDF released footage in which she purportedly admitted to participating in the protests as a human shield at the request of Hamas.[51][52] The video was later found to be a clip from an interview with a Lebanese television station that had been edited by the IDF to take al-Najjar's comments out of context.[51] In the unedited video, she didn't mention Hamas and called herself a "rescuing human shield to protect and save the wounded at the front lines", with everything following "human shield" trimmed out of the Israeli clip. The IDF was widely criticized for attempting posthumous character assassination by tampering with the video.[51][52]

### Destruction of media tower in Gaza

[edit]

In 2021, Israel bombed a skyscraper in Gaza that housed several international media outlets, including the Associated Press and Al Jazeera.[53][54][55] Israel claimed that Hamas officers were operating from the building and that such deployment amounted to human shields. This claim was denied by journalists working there. Despite claiming to have evidence of Hamas's misuse of the facility and promising to release it, Israel has never substantiated its allegations. The attack was condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Reporters Without Borders called for a war crimes investigation by the International Criminal Court.[56] Gary Pruitt, CEO of the Associated Press, said the news agency was "shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP's bureau and other news organizations in Gaza".[57][58][59] He added that "the world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today."[58][59]

### 2023-present Gaza war

[edit]

#### Israeli accusations

[edit]

Map released by IDF Spokesperson's Unit alleging military use of the al-Shifa hospital compound External videos

Pentagon Spokesperson: Hamas has a command center under Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City

During the 2023 Gaza War, Israel stated that Hamas has strategically placed portions of its military tunnel system and command network beneath civilian infrastructure, including Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital. Israel released what it said were videos of confessions of two alleged members of Hamas' armed wing in which the people on camera supported the assertion that Hamas militants are using hospitals as a means of protection from IDF strikes.[13] Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights Israel have denounced such taped alleged confessions, stating that they were likely extracted under torture, violate international law and basic human rights, and should be considered inadmissible as credible evidence.[60][61] They also called on the Israeli government to cease publishing taped "confessions".[60]

The Israeli army accused Hamas of sending over one hundred women and children to a compound it was targeting to act as human shields. It said two of its soldiers were killed while withdrawing from the compound.[62]

On 8 November, the IDF and Shin Bet footage from what it said was an intercepted phone call and the interrogations of terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre. The Times of Israel reported that "an apparent Hamas operative" said to another man in Gaza that he "can leave with any ambulance" he wants.[63]

Israel accused Hamas of "double war crimes" in using civilian locations to launch attacks. An IDF spokesman told CBS News that "a systemic abuse by Hamas of sites and locations that are supposed to enjoy special protection under the Geneva Convention and humanitarian law". The IDF shared with CBS photos it said showed Hamas members launching rockets from near UN facilities.[64][65]

On 18 November CNN aired footage taken by the IDF showing what the IDF claims was a person armed with an RPG launcher entering the premises of Al-Quds Hospital.[66]

On 19 November, the IDF released footage of an underground tunnel under al-Shifa.[67] The tunnel, which is 160 meter long and 10 meter deep, passes directly under the Qatari building of the hospital; it has air-conditioned rooms, bathrooms, a kitchenette, electricity connections and communication infrastructure, and is protected by a blast door.[68] The IDF also released CCTV footage that appears to show two of the hostages being led in the hospital's corridors, as well as Hamas and stolen IDF vehicles in its courtyard.[69][70] Hamas had previously publicized taking hostages to receive medical treatment.[71] On 21 December, The Washington Post published analysis concluding that the hospital buildings in question were not actually connected to the tunnels.[72]

According to Israel, Ahmad Kahlot, who they reported to be the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, while being interrogated by the Shin Bet said that Hamas had taken control of the hospital as a military operations center and that he himself was Hamas member. Israel said that during the interrogation he said that many hospital staff members served in the al-Qassam brigades.[73][74] According to the Israeli military, he said that Hamas used the hospital for holding an IDF soldier hostage and employed ambulances to transport the bodies of Israeli hostage and that Hamas had separate offices, ambulances, and equipment with distinct colors and signs.[73][74]

On 1 January 2024, the Jerusalem Post[better source needed] released selected footage of the IDF's Unit 504 interrogations of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants. The investigation alleged various tactics Hamas employed to exploit Gazan civilians.[75] Zohadi Ali Zahadi Shahin, an alleged Hamas member, said Hamas prevented civilians from fleeing towards Rafah crossing and instead relocated them to Al-Shifa Hospital where they were kept while Hamas terrorists hid in tunnels underneath. Shahin also said Hamas terrorists would forcibly take over civilian homes, plant explosives, and intimidate residents, with one militant threatening Shahin directly. Another alleged operative, Muhammad Darwish Amara from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said Hamas planted a bomb in his home where his children were staying to coerce him into participating in terrorist activities.[75]

These interrogations and use of selected video footage of alleged confessions by alleged Hamas militants have been widely criticized by human rights organizations as they likely involve the use of torture, do not give due process to detainees, and are selectively edited for release.[60][61][76]

In March 2025, Israel reduced the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital – the only one specializing in cancer treatment in Gaza – to rubble in a controlled explosion, saying the hospital was being used as a military base by Hamas.[77] Israel has not provided evidence of the accusation,[77] and media investigations had previously reported that it was Israeli soldiers who were using the hospital.[78][79]

#### Hamas responses

[edit]

A top Hamas official stated in October 2023 that they are not responsible for the protection of civilians in Gaza, and that instead the UN and in particular Israel are responsible for this under international law given that it is the occupying power over the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which includes Gaza.[80]

#### International reactions

[edit]

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that the United States has intelligence indicating that Hamas is using the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for military purposes, possibly for weapon storage and also for holding captives.[81][82] National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that "you can see even from open-source reporting that Hamas does use hospitals, along with a lot of other civilian facilities, for command-and-control, for storing weapons, for housing its fighters... this is Hamas' track record, both historically and in this conflict". According to another US official, "Hamas has a command node under the Al-Shifa hospital, uses fuel intended for it and its fighters regularly cluster in and around [it]."[83] The US assessment that Hamas and other Palestinian militants were operating within the Al-Shifa hospital included communication intercepts of fighters inside the complex.[84]

During the Gaza war of 2023–2024, EU nations accused Hamas of using hospitals as human shields, while the UN Secretary General said "Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields".[2][1] In 2023, HRW said that "Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups need to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians under their control from the effects of attacks and not use civilians as 'human shields.'"[85] In 2024, HRW reported at least two incidents where Palestinian fighters appear to have used Israeli hostages as human shields during the October 7 attacks in Kibbutz Be'eri and Nahal Oz.[86]

In November 2024, the UN reported that in most instances Israel does not provide substantial evidence for its human shields allegations in Gaza nor could they independently verify these allegations. The same report raised concerns regarding the actions of Palestinian armed groups and their compliance with International Humanitarian Law with respect to locating military objectives near densely populated areas and placement of civilians in areas regarded as military objectives under IHL. Nonetheless, they stressed that "Regardless of any use of human shields, Israel must uphold the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack".[87]

US President Joe Biden stated that Hamas was using innocent Palestinians as human shields and emphasized the need to protect them.[88] US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, called on Hamas to stop using civilians as human shields.[89] Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres has also stated that Hamas and other Palestinian factions have been using civilians as human shields.[2][90]

During a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East held on 24 October 2023, UK Minister of State for Security, Tom Tugendhat, asserted, "We know that Hamas are using innocent Palestinian civilians as human shields; they have embedded themselves in civilian communities."[91] Germany's Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, said: "We must not be fooled by Hamas' playbook," and emphasizing "their use of women and children in Gaza as human shields, and their hiding of weapons under supermarkets, apartment blocks, and even hospitals."[92][93] Philippe Kridelka, Jean Asselborn, and Sergiy Kyslytsya, representing Belgium, Luxembourg, and Ukraine, respectively, also expressed condemnation for Hamas's use of civilians as human shields.[94]

On 13 November 2023, 27 European Union nations jointly condemned Hamas for the use of hospitals and civilians as human shields.[95]

During the Gaza war, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, stated that Israel's labeling of every Palestinian casualty as a "human shield" in the Gaza Strip was "transforming everything and everyone into either a target or collateral damage, hence killable or destroyable."[96]

#### Response by locals

[edit]

After the 2024 Nuseirat rescue operation, locals criticized Hamas for hiding hostages within the houses of civilians.[97]

In the aftermath of the Al-Tabaeen school attack in August 2024, which killed 80 people who had taken shelter in the school, Israel justified its actions by accusing some of the fatalities of being members of militant groups and using the others as shields. Relatives of the accused by Israel, however, described them as a Beit Hanoon Hospital administration director, a retired principal, and scholar of Arabic language and literature; one of the people named by Israel was a man who had already been killed in December 2023. "Israel is always looking for flimsy excuses to target civilians, especially in shelters," said the daughter of one of the victims.[98]

In some buildings being used as shelters by civilians, they have refused to have Gaza police stationed at the shelters and deny entry to any armed person. Civilians in many such shelters have set up their own committees to oversee food, water, and medical distribution, with the presence of weapons being strictly banned regardless of political affiliations or membership of powerful clans and families.[99]

#### Media coverage

[edit]

According to a New York Times report, "Hamas has long been accused of using civilians as human shields and positioning underground bunkers, weapon depots and rocket launchers under or near schools, mosques and hospitals."[100]

DW military analyst Frank Ledwidge has said that "it's been described... as 'common knowledge' that many of the headquarters [of Hamas] are located under hospitals... [with] entries and exits in places like mosques or schools... [or even] UN facilities... that's why we've seen... so many non-combatant casualties so far".[101]

John Spencer has said that "[Hamas has] built many of their tunnel entrances and exits and passageway underneath protected sites like hospitals, schools, mosques, because it restricts the use of force that the IDF can take without going through the... laws of war calculation".[102]

According to Daphne Richemond-Barak, associate professor of counter-terrorism at Reichman University and author of the 2017 book Underground Warfare, Hamas militants operate under Al-Shifa Hospital gain "the highest level of protection available under the laws of war", as well as a "unique opportunity to operate far from surveillance drones, GPS, and other intelligence-gathering technology". She added that "in Gaza, tunnels are dug in civilian homes, pass under entire neighbourhoods, and lead into populated areas inside Israel... [which] enables Hamas to conceal entry and exit points, and facilitates undetected movement and activity."[103]

Avi Issacharoff has said that Hamas militants are "under the houses and neighborhoods of Gaza City, hoping that Israel won't attack them because they're hiding underneath human shields, and that if Israel will attack those neighborhoods, it'll kill many civilians, and the whole world is going to accuse Israel for war crimes". "The sad thing about all this", Issacharoff said, "is [that] Hamas doesn't care about their own people" and aims "not only to kill Israelis but for as many Palestinian civilians [casualties as well]".[104]

Ben Burgis, writing for Jacobin, called Israel's "human shields" defense of "its indiscriminate campaign of bombing apartment buildings, hospitals, ambulances, mosques, churches, and refugee camps in Gaza" an obscenity and compared it to a policeman firing indiscriminately at a criminal who had taken a child hostage.[105]

Following Israel's release of video evidence on 22 November, multiple news agencies concluded that the evidence did not demonstrate the use by Hamas of a command center. The New York Times also said the evidence does not show conclusive evidence of a vast network of tunnels,[106][107] while Haaretz concluded that Hamas did use the hospital for military purposes.[108] Amnesty International said on 23 November 2023 that "Amnesty International has so far not seen any credible evidence to support Israel's claim that al-Shifa is housing a military command centre" and that "the Israeli military has so far failed to provide credible evidence" for the allegation.[109]

According to the New York Times, Gazan civilians have been pushing away Hamas fighters from their school shelters in order to prevent the schools from being attacked by Israel. According to the New York Times, the interviewed Gazans were not willing to be human shields.[110] According to the Gazans interviewed by the New York Times, Hamas police officers were sometimes not allowed into shelters. The Gazan civilian interviewed said "We simply want to save all families, women and children and not let there be any potential threat against us because of the existence of police and members of the Hamas government,". The New York Times said it was difficult to know how widespread is the phenomenum of school shelters not allowing militiamen in their shelters.[110]

#### Input from other parties

[edit]

Human Rights Watch called on both Israel and Hamas to protect civilians under their control and not use them as "human shields."[85] Human rights organizations have also demanded the release of hostages held by Hamas and cautioned that using them to shield military assets is prohibited under international law.[111][112]

According to Swedish philosopher Per Bauhn, "moral responsibility for the killing of human shields in the context of morally legitimate attacks on military targets should be assigned to the side that tried to benefit from the presence of the shields in the first place".[113]

## Analysis

[edit]

### International law

[edit]

Neve Gordon, professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London and co-author of the 2020 book Human Shields: A History of People in the Line of Fire,[114] stated in December 2023 that the Israeli military and government's claims of Hamas using Palestinian civilians as human shields "should be understood as a pre-emptive legal defence against accusations that Israel is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza."[115] He also accuses state actors such as Israel of using the human shielding allegation to hypocritically justify their own war crimes against civilians: "In recent years the 'human shield' accusation has been adopted by several state militaries trying to justify the killing of civilians in Mosul in Iraq, Raqqa in Syria and elsewhere. This justification, however, functions only in one direction. When state actors kill civilians, it's become standard to describe them as human shields. But when non-state actors attack military targets in urban settings, the civilians they kill are still recognised as civilians."[115] This is endorsed by former United Nations human rights official Craig Mokhiber, who has noticed Israel's own extensive use of Palestinians as human shields.[116]

Gordon and co-author Nicola Perugini also claimed that Israeli accusations of human shields during the Great March of Return were an attempt "to shift the blame from the hunter to the prey, since, according to international law, the party responsible for the death of human shields is not the one killing them but the one using them."[117]

Janina Dill, a laws of war professor at University of Oxford, 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".[118]

Scholars in international law have cautioned that accusing Hamas of using human shields requires proving intent to shield a military target with civilians.[119] Amnesty International argues that the presence of Hamas weapons in civilian areas is not sufficient to prove intent. They cite "a growing gun culture in Gaza and the increasing internal tensions between Palestinian factions" as other possible reasons for weapons to be found in civilian areas.[16]

### Strategy

[edit]

According to a paper published by NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, the tactical deployment of human shields by entities such as Hamas strategically capitalizes on Israel's commitment to reducing unintended civilian harm and the heightened sensitivity of Western audiences to non-combatant casualties. This approach enables Hamas to potentially charge Israel with war crimes when civilian casualties increase due to intensified actions by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), potentially leading to international sanctions. On the other hand, should the IDF restrain its military engagements to minimize civilian casualties, Hamas gains an advantage, being less exposed to Israeli military strikes and able to safeguard its resources and continue its activities. Moreover, the issue of civilian casualties often creates internal debates within Israeli society, especially between the left-wing, who may critique the operation's consequences, and right-wing factions.[6]

Seen as a form of 'lawfare', according to the Centre of Excellence, this strategy is about leveraging legal frameworks and public sentiment against an adversary, aiming to undermine their legitimacy, engage their resources in legal battles, or secure a victory in the court of public opinion.[6]

According to Charles Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security advisor, Hamas have strategically embedded their forces among civilian populations, utilizing them as human shields and intentionally provoking Israel to cause civilian casualties in its responses. Simultaneously, Freilich claims that Israel has consistently taken extensive measures to minimize innocent enemy casualties, employing special tactics and risking personnel – a record favorable in comparison to other countries dealing with terrorist threats.[120]

However, Gordon and Perugini have questioned whether the use of human shields by Hamas would be an effective strategy against Israel, because the Israeli military considers a high ratio of civilian casualties permissible and "deterrence is successful only when the attacking party values the shield's humanity and feels morally compelled to stop the attack in order not to harm the person who serves as a shield."[121]

### As an act of perfidy

[edit]

All combatants, including insurgents, are bound by the law of war.

Louis René Beres believes Hamas is using human shields and this constitutes an act of perfidy, a breach of Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations and Protocol I of 1977, Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice.[122] By contrast, Stephanie Bouchie de Belle, writing in the International Review of the Red Cross, argues that though the use of human shields is prohibited, it is not an act of perfidy. An act of perfidy, she argues, must necessarily be done with the intent to kill, wound or capture an enemy, but a human shield that defends combatants from enemy attack does not fit the definition of perfidy.[123]

## Comparison to IDF bases in civilian areas

[edit]

Israeli journalist Amira Hass, writing in 2014 that the Israeli media portrays the conflict in a biased manner, wrote of the human shield accusation "If I'm not mistaken, the Defense Ministry is in the heart of Tel Aviv, as is the army's main 'war room.' And what about the military training base at Glilot, near the big mall? And the Shin Bet headquarters in Jerusalem, on the edge of a residential neighborhood? ... Why is it all right for us and not for them? Just because they don't have the phallic ability to bomb these places?"[124]

Neve Gordon and Nicola Perugini argue that whether civilians are framed as "human shields" by virtue of their physical proximity to belligerents ("proximate shields"), depends largely on whether the belligerents in question are military or irregulars: "Israeli citizens in Tel Aviv are not classified as shields when Hamas launches rockets towards the Israel Defense Forces military command headquarters located in the city center. By sharp contrast, Palestinian civilians are cast as human shields when Israel bombs Hamas command centers and military infrastructures in Gaza. In other words, if Hamas kills Israeli civilians, it is to blame, and if Israel kills Palestinian civilians, then Hamas is also to blame, since, at least ostensibly, it is Hamas that has deployed these civilians as shields."[125]

Gordon also refers to the extensive use of civilian buildings such as synagogues, primary schools, and medical facilities by Zionist paramilitaries such as the Lehi to hide combatants and store arms in before the establishment of Israel in 1948, which is commemorated today with plaques, concluding: "The attempt by the Israeli authorities to justify their carpet bombing and blame Palestinians for bringing disaster on themselves through the use of 'human shields' is not only political sophistry, but forgetful of Israel's own history."[115]

Amnesty International, in its analysis of the 2008 Gaza War, wrote that while it is uncontested that Hamas weapons and fighters were located in civilian areas, that in itself does not itself constitute human shielding. Amnesty contrasts the Palestinian and Israeli positions, stating that "The close proximity of the military and weapons to civilian areas is also not unusual in Israel. The headquarters of the Israeli army is in a densely populated area of central Tel Aviv. In Ashkelon, Sderot, Bersheva and other towns in the south of Israel... [and] elsewhere in the country, military bases and other installations are located in or around residential areas, including kibbutzim and villages."[16]

Ha'aretz writer Michael Brizon argued in 2014 that Israel's charge of human shields is hypocritical given the IDF military command center is located near Ichilov Hospital.[126] Many Kibbutzim are co-located with military bases, such as Nahal Oz.

## See also

[edit]

* Human shields in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
* Deif family killings
* Alleged military use of al-Shifa hospital
* War crimes in the Gaza war
* Children in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
* Human shield action to Iraq

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "EU nations condemn Hamas for what they describe as use of hospitals, civilians as 'human shields'". AP News. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
2. ^ a b c "Secretary-General's press conference on the Middle East | United Nations Secretary-General". www.un.org. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
3. ^ Walsh, Declan (16 May 2021). "Israel and Hamas Fighting Raises Questions about War Crimes". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
4. ^ Marsi, Federica (13 November 2023). "What is a 'human shield' and why is Israel using the term in Gaza?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
5. ^ "Hamas rocket attacks 'war crimes'". 6 August 2009. "Hamas did not use human shields and did not fire rockets from residential areas," he said. "Hamas does not target civilians."
6. ^ a b c 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 (5 June 2019). Hybrid Threats: Hamas' use of human shields in Gaza (Report). NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence. pp. 147–169, 152.`{{cite report}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. ^ Sherwood, Harriet (3 October 2010). "Israeli Soldiers Convicted of Using Palestinian Boy as Human Shield". The Guardian.
8. ^ Rosen, Richard D. (2021). "Targeting Enemy Forces in the War on Terror: Preserving Civilian Immunity". Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. 42 (3). Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press: 683–777\. ISSN 0090-2594.
9. ^ Rubinstein, Amnon; Roznai, Yaniv (2011). "Human Shields in Modern Armed Conflicts: The Need for a Proportionate Proportionality". Stanford Law & Policy Review. 22 (1). Redwood City: Stanford University Press: 93–127\. ISSN 1044-4386.
10. ^ "Hamas rocket attacks 'war crimes'". BBC News. 6 August 2009.
11. ^ Baconi 2018, p. 392.
12. ^ Worrall, Patrick (24 July 2014). "Does Hamas use civilians as human shields?". Channel 4 News. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023.
13. ^ a b c d Beaumont, Peter (30 October 2023). "What is a human shield and how has Hamas been accused of using them?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
14. ^ Gordon & Perugini 2020, pp. 216–217.
15. ^ a b c d e f George E. Bisharat, Israel's Invasion of Gaza in International Law, 38 Denv. J. Int'l L. & Pol'y 41 (2009).
16. ^ a b c d "Israel/Gaza: Operation "Cast Lead": 22 days of death and destruction". Amnesty International. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
17. ^ a b "Israel/Gaza conflict: Questions and Answers". Amnesty International. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
18. ^ Norman Finkelstein, Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom, Archived 31 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine University of California Press, 2018 pp.68–81 pp.70–71, p.70.
19. ^ Abrahams, Fred (13 August 2009). "White Flag Deaths". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
20. ^ "Protect civilians from the impact of hostilities", B'tselem, 27 October 2023
21. ^ Deitch, Ian; Barzak, Ibrahim. "Israel vows to destroy Hamas tunnels, deaths spike". Yahoo News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
22. ^ "Israel says these photos show how Hamas places weapons in and near U.N. facilities in Gaza, including schools". CBS News. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
23. ^ "Secretary-General submits to SecCo summary of UN Board of Inquiry report on Gaza (June – Aug. 2014) – Letter/report". Question of Palestine. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
24. ^ a b "EU strongly condemns indiscriminate Hamas rockets on Israel and use of Palestinian population as human shields, 'terrorist groups in Gaza must disarm', calls for 'immediate ceasefire'". Archived 31 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine, European Jewish Press, 22 July 2014.
25. ^ a b "European Union: Hamas, other Gaza terror groups must disarm". Archived 5 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Haaretz, 22 July 2014.
26. ^ "Hamas Leader Denies Militants Fire Rockets from Civilian Neighborhoods". Time. 4 August 2014.
27. ^ a b "Hamas acknowledges its forces fired rockets from civilian areas". Haaretz. 12 September 2014. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
28. ^ Israel-Gaza conflict: The myth of Hamas's human shields. The Independent (Report). 21 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
29. ^ Sherwood, Harriet (24 July 2014). In Gaza, Hamas fighters are among civilians. There is nowhere else for them to go. The Guardian (Report). Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
30. ^ "Jeremy Bowen's Gaza notebook: I saw no evidence of Hamas using Palestinians as human shields". New Statesman. 22 July 2014. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
31. ^ a b c Document – Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Israel/Gaza conflict (Report). Amnesty International. July 2014.
32. ^ Document – Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories: Israel/Gaza conflict, July 2014 (Report). Amnesty International. 17 July 2014.
33. ^ Cohen, Gili; Hass, Amira; Khoury, Jack. "Israel bombs empty Gaza hospital, calling it Hamas command center". Haaretz. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
34. ^ "Gaza's hospitals in the middle between Israel and Hamas". The Washington Post. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
35. ^ "Reporter for Helsingin Sanomat confirms longstanding Israeli statements that Hamas missiles launched from the Shifa compound". Times of Israel.
36. ^ "VIDEO: Finnish reporter sees rockets fired from Gaza hospital". ynet. 2 August 2014.
37. ^ "Israel has stolen Gaza's future, and its hope". Haaretz. 2 August 2014.
38. ^ Booth, William (15 July 2024). "While Israel held its fire, the militant group Hamas did not". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
39. ^ "Top Secret Hamas Command Bunker in Gaza Revealed—And Why Reporters Won't Talk About It". Tablet Magazine. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
40. ^ "Les menaces du Hamas sur un journaliste : "Tu dois quitter Gaza au plus vite et arrêter de travailler" !" [Hamas Threats to Journalist: "You Must Leave Gaza as Soon as Possible and Stop Working!"]. Actualité Israel (in French). Retrieved 8 June 2021.[permanent dead link]
41. ^ Levitt, Joshua (24 July 2024). "Journalist Describes Interrogation at Hamas Headquarters Next to Emergency Room at Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital". The Algemeiner. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
42. ^ "Amnesty International says Hamas committed war crimes, too". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
43. ^ a b "Palestinian armed groups killed civilians on both sides in attacks amounting to war crimes in Gaza conflict". Amnesty International. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
44. ^ References Amnesty International. (March 2015). Unlawful and Deadly rocket and Mortar Attacks by Palestinian Armed Groups During the 2014 Gaza/Israel Conflict. Amnesty International -. https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MDE2111782015ENGLISH.pdf
45. ^ Barghouti, Mustafa (23 June 2018). "Razan Ashraf al-Najjar". The Lancet. 391 (10139): 2496. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31361-8. ISSN 0140-6736.
46. ^ Holmes, Oliver; Balousha, Hazem (8 June 2018). "Mother of shot Gaza medic: 'She thought the white coat would protect her'". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
47. ^ Al-Hlou, Yousur; Brown, Malachy; Woo, John; Halbfinger, David M. (1 October 2006). "An Israeli Soldier Killed a Medic in Gaza. We Investigated the Fatal Shot". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
48. ^ "Protests resume after Palestinian paramedic's Gaza funeral". NBC News. Associated Press. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
49. ^ Ahronheim, Anna (5 June 2018). "IDF says no direct fire was aimed at Gazan nurse killed Friday". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
50. ^ "Israeli forces 'deliberately killed' Palestinian paramedic Razan". Al Jazeera. 18 July 2018.
51. ^ a b c McKernan, Bethan (8 June 2018). "Israeli army edits video of Palestinian medic its troops shot dead to misleadingly show she was 'human shield for Hamas'". The Independent.
52. ^ a b Mackey, Robert (8 June 2018). "Israel Attempts to Smear Razan al-Najjar, Palestinian Medic It Killed, Calling Her "No Angel"". The Intercept. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
53. ^ Olson, Alexandra (15 May 2021). "Media demand Israel explain destruction of news offices". Associated Press. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
54. ^ MacDonald, Alex; al-Hajjar, Mohammed (15 May 2021). "Israel bombs Gaza building used by Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera and AP". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
55. ^ "Bombing of media tower in Gaza hurt Israel's image, says army investigator". Middle East Eye. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
56. ^ "UN court pressed to probe Israel strike on media office". Al Jazeera. 17 May 2021. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
57. ^ Cite error: The named reference `aljalaaindy` was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
58. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference `Reuters tower` was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
59. ^ a b "Statement: AP 'horrified' by Israeli attack on its office". AP News. 15 May 2021. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
60. ^ a b c Hearst, Katherine (29 March 2024). "War on Gaza: Israel likely tortured Palestinian to record rape confession, say rights groups". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
61. ^ a b "Gender-Based Violence as a Weapon of War during the October 7 Hamas Attacks". Physicians for Human Rights - Israel. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
62. ^ Bachner, Michael; Horovitz, Michael; Fabian, Emanuel (2 November 2023). "Israel accuses Hamas of using over 100 women and children as human shields in Gaza". Times of Israel. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
63. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (8 November 2023). "Hamas operative boasts he 'can leave with any ambulance,' in call overheard by IDF". Times of Israel. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
64. ^ Zitun, Yoav (9 November 2023). "Hamas places rockets next door to classroom, explosives under girls' bedroom". Ynetnews. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
65. ^ "Israel says these photos show how Hamas places weapons in and near U.N. facilities in Gaza, including schools". CBS News. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
66. ^ "IDF says video shows Hamas fighter outside hospital with RPG launcher". CNN. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
67. ^ McKernan, Bethan (19 November 2023). "IDF publishes footage of what it says is Hamas tunnel at al-Shifa hospital". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
68. ^ Scharf, Avi; Michaeli, Yarden (23 November 2023). "Videos Show Exact Path of Hamas Tunnels Under Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital". Haaretz. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
69. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (19 November 2023). "IDF: Hostage was killed in Shifa; clip shows Hamas take 2 other hostages there on Oct 7". Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
70. ^ Fabian, Emanuel; Ghert-Zand, Renee (22 November 2023). "IDF breaches blast door in Hamas tunnel under Gaza's Shifa Hospital". Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
71. ^ "Three more journalists killed in Gaza over weekend, relatives say – as it happened". The Guardian. 19 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
72. ^ Loveluck, Louisa; Hill, Evan; Baran, Jonathan; Ley, Jarrett; Nakashima, Ellen (21 December 2023). "The case of al-Shifa: Investigating the assault on Gaza's largest hospital". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
73. ^ a b "Gaza hospital director admits Hamas uses hospitals for military purposes". The Jerusalem Post. 19 December 2023.
74. ^ a b Zitun, Yoav (19 December 2023). "Gaza hospital chief confirms facility's use as Hamas military base staffed by terrorist operatives". Ynetnews. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
75. ^ a b "Hamas terrorists admit to exploiting civilians in IDF investigation". The Jerusalem Post. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
76. ^

* Shezaf, Hagar (17 April 2024). "UNRWA: Israeli Army Forced Staff to Confess Ties to Hamas Using Torture". Haaretz.
* Graham-Harrison, Emma; Taha, Sufian; McKernan, Bethan; Kierszenbaum, Quique (5 August 2024). "Torture, abuse and humiliation: Palestinians on Israeli prison 'hell'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 August 2024.

77. ^ a b Burki, Talha (27 March 2025). "Destruction of Gaza's only cancer specialist hospital". The Lancet. 26 (5). doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(25)00192-5. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
78. ^ Haaretz. "Israeli Army Appears to Be Using Gaza Hospital, School as Bases, Washington Post Reports". Haaretz. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
79. ^ "Turkey 'threatens' Israel with legal action after army uses Gaza hospital as base". New Arab. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
80. ^ Pacchiani, Gianluca (31 October 2023). "Top Hamas official declares group is not responsible for defending Gazan civilians". Times of Israel. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
81. ^ רויטרס (14 November 2023). "הבית הלבן: יש מידע שחמאס משתמש בבתי החולים בעזה, גם להחזקת חטופים". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 14 November 2023.
82. ^ "US confirms Israeli claim that Hamas using Gaza hospitals, including Shifa, for military operations". The Times of Israel.
83. ^ Tapper, Jake (13 November 2023). "Hamas has command center under Al-Shifa hospital, US official says". CNN. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
84. ^ "U.S. Relied on Intercepts in Assessing Hamas's Operations at Gaza Hospital". The Wall Street Journal. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
85. ^ a b "Gaza: Unlawful Israeli Hospital Strikes Worsen Health Crisis". Human Rights Watch. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
86. ^ Wille, Belkis (17 July 2024). ""I Can't Erase All the Blood from My Mind"". Human Rights Watch.
87. ^ "Six-month update report on the human rights situation in Gaza: 1 November 2023 to 30 April 2024". OHCHR. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
88. ^ "Biden says Hamas using innocent Gazans as human shields; phones Netanyahu, PA's Abbas". Times of Israel. 15 October 2023.
89. ^ Wintour, Patrick (13 October 2023). "Blinken urges Israel to avoid civilian deaths and wants safe zones in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
90. ^ "What limits do the laws of war impose on combatants?". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
91. ^ "The UK stands resolutely with Israel in defending itself against terror: Minister for Security Tom Tugendhat statement at the UN Security Council". GOV.UK. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
92. ^ Amt, Auswärtiges. "Speech by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the United Nations Security Council on the situation in the Middle East". Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
93. ^ "Germany's Baerbock says fight is with Hamas, not civilians – DW – 10/25/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
94. ^ "Amid Increasingly Dire Humanitarian Situation in Gaza, Secretary-General Tells Security Council Hamas Attacks Cannot Justify Collective Punishment of Palestinian People – Press Release". 9451ST MEETING (AM & PM) SC/15462 24 October 2023
95. ^ "EU condemns Hamas for using human shields, but urges Israeli restraint". Euronews. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
96. ^ "UN expert says Israel using concepts such as 'human shields' as legal cover for genocide". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
97. ^ Ayyoub, Abeer (17 June 2024). "The Hostages Next Door: Inside a Notable Gaza Family's Dark Secret". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
98. ^ "'Just civilians': Families of Gaza school strike victims refute Hamas links". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
99. ^ Shbair, Bilal; Bigg, Matthew Mpoke (10 September 2024). "Unwilling to Be Militants' Human Shields, Some Gazans Turn Gunmen Away From Shelters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
100. ^ Cooper, Helene; Schmitt, Eric; Goldman, Adam (9 November 2023). "Israeli Forces Have Limited Time in Gaza, U.S. Officials Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
101. ^ Ledwidge, Frank (8 November 2023). "Decoding the underground: Israel's tactical war on Hamas tunnels" (Interview). Interviewed by Terry Martin. DW News.
102. ^ "Fighting Hamas inside Gaza's tunnels is like 'war in a phone booth'". PBS News Hour. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
103. ^ Cormack, Lucy (14 October 2023). "Booby traps, mines: Hamas' tunnel network under Gaza helps in a war". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
104. ^ Weiss, Debbie (7 November 2023). "'Fauda' Creator: 'We Cannot Even Imagine' Extent of Gaza Terror Tunnels, Hamas Wanted IDF to Enter Enclave". The Algemeiner. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
105. ^ Burgis, Ben (20 November 2023). "The "Human Shields" Defense of Bombing Gaza's Civilians Is Morally Bankrupt". Jacobin. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
106. ^

* "Israel unveils what it claims is a major Hamas militant hideout beneath Gaza City's Shifa Hospital". AP News. 23 November 2023. "Israel has not yet unveiled this purported center, but the military portrayed the underground hideout as its most significant discovery yet. Hamas and the hospital administration have denied Israel's accusations."
* Gavrielov, Nadav (23 November 2023). "Israel Releases Videos It Says Show Hamas Tunnels Under Al-Shifa Hospital". The New York Times. "The videos so far — including those released on Wednesday [22 November] — have not shown conclusive evidence of a vast network of tunnels."
* Lieber, Dov; Abdel-Baqui, Omar (22 November 2023). "Inside Israel's Campaign to Prove a Gaza Hospital Was a Hamas Command Center". The Wall Street Journal. "While many security analysts agree the latest evidence Israel has released increasingly suggests a Hamas presence at the hospital, most say they have yet to see something that constitutes a smoking gun showing it was a command center for Hamas, as Israel has alleged."
* Sabbagh, Dan (23 November 2023). "Israel arrests Gaza hospital director and bombs 300 targets amid truce delay". The Guardian. "Israel has repeatedly claimed that Hamas ran a command and control centre from tunnels running near and under the hospital, although so far the evidence presented has fallen short of that."
* "Secrets of the tunnels: What lies beneath al Shifa hospital?". Sky News. "The Israeli army is continuing to search the site for evidence of Hamas's presence, including the alleged command and control centre."

107. ^ Vasilyeva, Nataliya; Barnes, Joe (23 November 2023). "Inside the tunnels beneath Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 25 November 2023. "While the footage does prove the existence of tunnels underneath the complex, it remains unclear whether they formed part of a Hamas command centre, as Israel claims."
108. ^ "Videos Show Exact Path of Hamas Tunnels Under Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital". Haaretz. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
109. ^ "Amnesty International UK Briefing: CRISIS IN ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES 23 November 2023" (PDF). Amnesty International. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
110. ^ a b Shbair, Bilala (10 September 2024). "Unwilling to Be Human Shields, Some Gazans Turn Gunmen Away From Shelters". The New York Times.
111. ^ "Israel/OPT: Hamas and other armed groups must release civilian hostages and treat all captives humanely". Amnesty International. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
112. ^ "Hamas, Islamic Jihad: Holding Hostages is a War Crime". Human Rights Watch. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
113. ^ Bauhn, Per (2024). "Just war, human shields, and the 2023–24 Gaza War". Israel Affairs. 30 (5): 863–878\. doi:10.1080/13537121.2024.2394289. ISSN 1353-7121.
114. ^ Gordon & Perugini 2020, p. [page needed].
115. ^ a b c Gordon, Neve (1 December 2023). "Neve Gordon | On Human Shields". LRB Blog. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
116. ^ Craig Mokhiber (21 September 2024). "Every accusation a confession: Israel and the double lie of 'human shields'". Mondoweiss.
117. ^ Gordon, Neve; Perugini, Nicola (18 June 2018). "The fallacy of Israel's human shields claims in Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
118. ^ Yee, Vivian (17 December 2023). "More Than 100 Members of This Gaza Clan Have Been Killed in War". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
119. ^ McQuade, Chris (20 December 2023). "On Forcing Civilians to Remain in Hostile Zones: The Prohibition of Shielding and the Corresponding Obligations of an Attacking Party Under International Humanitarian Law". Opinio Juris.
120. ^ Freilich, Charles D. (2018). Israeli National Security. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 214\. ISBN 9780190602932.
121. ^ Delori, Mathias (1 March 2025). "'It happened at Al-Amariyya'". Le Monde diplomatique. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
122. ^ Beres, Louis René (9 October 2023). Friedman, Ingrid Burke (ed.). "Hamas Terror Attacks and International Law". Jurist.
123. ^ de Belle, Stéphanie Bouchié. "Chained to cannons or wearing targets on their T-shirts: human shields in international humanitarian law". International Review of the Red Cross. 90 (872): 888–889.
124. ^ Hass, Amira (14 July 2014). "Israel Showed Restraint in Gaza Before Attacking? You Must Be Kidding". Haaretz. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
125. ^ Gordon & Perugini 2020, pp. 165–166.
126. ^ Brizon, Michael (17 October 2014). "The Strip of Slaughter". Haaretz. "They are lame because they come from a state that houses its military command center (the Kirya) in the heart of a bustling city (Tel Aviv), a stone's throw from a huge hospital (Ichilov)."

### Sources

[edit]

#### Books

[edit]

* Baconi, Tareq (2018). Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 9781503605817.
* Gordon, Neve; Perugini, Nicola (25 August 2020). Human Shields. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-30184-9.
* Rosen, Richard D. (2012). "Chapter 15, The Protection of Civilians During the Israeli-Hamas Conflict: The Goldstone Report". In Lovell, David W.; Primoratz, Igor (eds.). Protecting Civilians During Violent Conflict: Theoretical and Practical Issues for the 21st Century (ebk-ePUB). Routledge. ISBN 9781317074342.

#### Journal articles

[edit]

* Rosen, Richard D. (2009). "Targeting Enemy Forces in the War on Terror: Preserving Civilian Immunity". Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. 42 (3): 683–777\. hdl:10601/1320.
* Rubinstein, Amnon; Roznai, Yaniv (2011). "Human Shields in Modern Armed Conflicts: The Need for a Proportionate Proportionality" (PDF). Stanford Law & Policy Review. 22 (1): 93–128\. SSRN 1861161. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Gaza war

* Timeline
* Outline

Background:

* History of Gaza
* Zionism
* Israeli–Palestinian conflict
* History of Hamas
* Blockade of the Gaza Strip

Engage-
ments|

| Hamas-led
attack on
Israel|

| Attacks on civilians|

* Netiv HaAsara
* Alumim
* Be'eri
* Elhanan Team
* Holit
* Kfar Aza
* Kissufim
* Nir Oz
* Nir Yitzhak
* Nahal Oz
* Nirim
* Nova music festival
* Death Shelters
* Psyduck music festival

|

Battles|

* Nir Am
* Re'im
* Sderot
* Sufa
* Zikim
* Israeli female tank crew fight

General topics|

* Allegations of genocide
* Allegations of involvement of UNRWA employees
* Baby beheading hoax
* Denial
* Sexual and gender-based violence
* "Screams Without Words"
* Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre
* Screams Before Silence

Israeli
invasion
of Gaza|

* Beit Hanoun
* Gaza City
* Khan Yunis
* Netzarim Corridor
* Rafah
* Background
* Shuja'iyya
* May 2025 Gaza offensive
* Deir al-Balah

Attacks on
refugee camps|

* Jabalia
* 31 October
* Al-Shati
* Al-Shati and Tuffah dual airstrikes
* Al-Maghazi
* Tel al-Sultan attack
* Al-Mawasi (May)
* Nuseirat rescue and massacre
* Al-Mawasi (June)
* Al-Shati (July)
* Deir el-Balah (August)
* Al-Mawasi (September)
* Al-Mawasi (December)
* Nuseirat (December)

Attacks on schools|

* Al-Fakhoora
* Al-Sardi
* Al-Awda
* Khadija
* Hamama
* Al-Tabaeen
* Al-Jawni
* Rufaida
* Abu Hussein
* Fahmi al-Jarjawi

Attacks on
health facilities|

* Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion
* Al-Shifa Hospital siege
* alleged military use
* Gaza Strip mass graves
* Kamal Adwan Hospital sieges
* Detention of Hussam Abu Safiya
* Killing of health workers
* Nasser Hospital siege
* Nasser Hospital mass graves
* 14 October 2024 Al-Aqsa Hospital attack
* 2025 Gaza European Hospital strikes

Other attacks|

* Airstrikes on municipal services in Gaza
* Attacks on religious sites
* Central Archives Destruction
* Engineer's Building airstrike
* Flour Massacre
* Kuwait Roundabout mass killings
* Palestinians evacuating Gaza City
* World Central Kitchen aid convoy attack
* 13 July 2024 al-Mawasi attack
* Khan Yunis
* Deir al-Balah mosque
* Beit Lahia attacks
* Beit Lahia airstrike
* Kerem Shalom aid convoy looting
* March 2025 Israeli strikes
* Rafah paramedic massacre
* April 2025 Shuja'iyya airstrike
* Al-Najjar family killings
* 2025 Gaza Strip aid distribution killings
* Al-Baqa Cafe airstrike

General topics|

* AI-assisted targeting
* Bombing of the Gaza Strip
* Companies involved
* Destruction of cultural heritage
* Environmental impact
* Gaza genocide
* Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
* Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone
* Hamas–Popular Forces conflict (Popular Forces administration)
* Israeli generals' plan
* Torture

Other
theaters|

| Israel|

* Lehi Street bombing
* Givat Shaul shooting
* 2024 Jaffa shooting

|

West Bank|

* Israeli incursions in the West Bank
* Tulkarm
* 2024 military operation
* 2024 Tulkarm Camp airstrike
* 2025 military operation
* 2024–2025 Palestinian Authority operation in Jenin
* Killing of Benjamin Achimeir
* April 2024 Israeli settler rampages
* al-Funduq shooting

Iran–Israel conflict|

* Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus
* 2024 Iranian strikes in Israel
* April
* October
* 2024 Israeli strikes on Iran
* April
* October
* Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh
* Iran–Israel war

Israel–Hezbollah conflict
(Timeline)|

* Attacks on journalists
* Lebanese displacement
* Assassinations
* Hezbollah headquarters
* Fuad Shukr
* Ibrahim Aqil
* Saleh al-Arouri
* August 2024 Nabatieh attack
* August 2024 Israel–Lebanon strikes
* 2024 Lebanon electronic device attacks
* September 2024 Israeli attacks against Lebanon
* Israeli invasion of Lebanon
* ceasefire
* Israeli attacks on the Lebanese health sector
* Destruction of cultural heritage during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon
* January 2025 southern Lebanon attack

Red Sea crisis
(Timeline)|

* Operation Prosperity Guardian
* Houthi attacks on commercial vessels
* Attacks on the MV Maersk Hangzhou
* Marlin Luanda missile strike
* Attacks on the Sounion
* Operation Poseidon Archer
* 2024 Houthi drone attack on Israel
* Israeli attack on Yemen (July 2024)
* Israeli attacks on Yemen (September 2024)
* March–May 2025 United States attacks in Yemen
* 2025 United States–Houthi ceasefire

Syria|

* Israeli invasion of Syria
* Southern Syria clashes (April–May 2025)
* Southern Syria clashes (July 2025–present)
* July 2025 Damascus airstrikes

Other|

* Majdal Shams attack
* Tower 22 drone attack
* 2024 Masyaf raid

Hostages|

* Hostage–prisoner exchange (2023)
* Kidnapped from Israel
* Hostages and Missing Families Forum
* Hostages Square

Captive|

* Evyatar David

Rescued|

* 2024 Rafah hostage raid
* Rachel Edry
* Ori Megidish
* Nuseirat operation
* Noa Argamani
* Qaid Farhan Al-Qadi

Released|

* Yarden Roman-Gat
* Mia Schem
* Naama Levy
* Liri Albag
* Eli Sharabi
* Edan Alexander
* Omer Shem Tov
* Agam Berger
* Emily Damari

Deceased|

* Alex Dancyg
* Hersh Goldberg-Polin
* Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim, and Samer Talalka
* Oded Lifshitz
* Shani Louk
* Kidnapping and killing of the Bibas family

General
topics|

* 2023 ceasefire
* 2025 ceasefire
* COGAT
* Dahiya doctrine
* Effect on children in Gaza
* Hannibal Directive
* Humanitarian aid
* International recognition of Palestine
* Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)
* Israeli interrogations
* LGBTQ advocacy in the Gaza war
* Women
* Wikipedia

Historical context|

* Arab–Israeli conflict
* International law
* Gaza–Israel conflict
* Casualties of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip
* Human rights violations
* Human shields
* Israeli demolition of Palestinian property
* Israeli settlement
* Legality of Israeli settlements
* Israeli outpost
* Israeli settler violence
* Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip
* Legitimacy of the State of Israel
* Palestinian freedom of movement
* Palestinian rocket attacks
* Palestinian tunnel warfare
* anti-tunnel barrier
* Israeli assassinations
* Women

Effects|

* Economic impact
* Evacuations
* Gaza Strip evacuations
* Israeli government response
* Israeli war cabinet
* Israeli public diplomacy
* Mass detentions
* Media coverage
* Violence against journalists
* Misinformation
* Pallywood
* Palestinian genocide accusation
* Sexual violence against Palestinians
* War crimes
* Hamas
* Israeli
* Cemetery destruction and necroviolence
* Israeli torture in the occupied territories
* Proposed Israeli resettlement of Gaza

Humanitarian crisis|

* Famine
* Flotillas
* 2024 Gaza Freedom Flotilla
* May 2025 drone attack on Gaza Freedom Flotilla
* June 2025 Gaza Freedom Flotilla
* July 2025 Gaza Freedom Flotilla
* Gaza floating pier
* Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
* Global March to Gaza
* Soumoud Convoy
* Healthcare collapse
* Polio epidemic
* Premature baby crisis
* Societal breakdown
* WCNSF

Reactions|

* Calls for a ceasefire
* September 2024 Israel hostage deal protests
* Diplomatic impact
* Egypt
* European Union
* United Kingdom
* Islamic Summit Conference
* Arab–Islamic extraordinary summit
* Hurmat-e-Masjid Aqsa Conference
* Cancellation of the 2023 MTV EMA
* Donald Trump's Gaza Strip proposal
* Proposed Israeli resettlement of the Gaza Strip
* 2024 Beijing Declaration
* Hague Group
* Bogotá summit
* University donors
* July 2025 Conference on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution

Military aid|

* US support for Israel
* German support for Israel

Discrimination|

* Antisemitism
* Riots in the North Caucasus
* Anti-Palestinianism
* Islamophobia
* Violent incidents
* Murder of Wadea al-Fayoume
* Death of Paul Kessler
* Vermont student shooting
* Killing of Israeli Embassy workers
* Boulder fire attack

Protests|

* 2024 University campuses
* List of protests
* Netherlands
* United States
* California
* Reactions
* The Encampments
* 2025 University campuses
* Netherlands
* Australia
* Bangladesh
* March for Gaza
* France
* March for the Republic and Against Antisemitism
* Indonesia
* 2023 Bitung clashes
* Israel
* Humanitarian aid blockade
* New Zealand
* Spain
* 2024 pro-Palestinian strike
* United Kingdom
* United States
* Artists4Ceasefire
* DNC protests
* March on Washington for Gaza
* March for Israel
* National March on Washington: Free Palestine
* Protest votes
* Self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell
* Pakistan
* D-Chowk Dharna
* 2024 Faizabad sit-in
* Gaza Strip
* 2025 Gaza Strip anti-Hamas protests

UN resolutions|

* A/RES/ES-10/21
* S/RES/2712
* A/RES/ES-10/22
* S/RES/2720
* S/RES/2728
* A/RES/ES-10/23
* S/RES/2735

UN inquiry|

* Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Global courts|

* South Africa v. Israel (Genocide Convention)
* Nicaragua v. Germany
* Legal Consequences of Israeli Policies and Practices
* ICC investigation in Palestine
* Arrest warrants

Courts|

* Defense for Children International – Palestine v. Biden

Casualties|

| Israel|

| Security forces|

* Alim Abdallah
* Yitzhak Ben-Bashat
* Jayar Davidov
* Eli Ginsberg
* Salman Habaka
* Asaf Hamami
* Yitzhar Hofman
* Roi Levy
* Izhar Peled
* Yonatan Steinberg
* Ehsan Daxa

|

Civilians|

* Lior Asulin
* Hayim Katsman
* Ofir Libstein
* Shani Louk
* Aner Shapira
* Vivian Silver
* Yahav Winner

Palestine|

| Hamas|

* Ismail Haniyeh
* Yahya Sinwar
* Saleh al-Arouri
* Fouad Abu Butihan
* Abdul Fatah Dukhan
* Mohammed Dababish
* Wissam Farhat
* Ahmed Ghandour
* Mohammed Deif
* Marwan Issa
* Fursan Khalifa
* Rafa Salama
* Osama Mazini
* Ayman Nofal
* Jamila al-Shanti
* Ali Al Qadi
* Alaa Shreiteh
* Faiq Al-Mabhouh
* Rawhi Mushtaha
* Jihad Shehadeh

|

Civilians|

* Tawfic Abdel Jabbar
* Majed Abu Maraheel
* Hiba Abu Nada
* Refaat Alareer
* Hammam Alloh
* Nahida and Samar Anton
* Ibrahim al-Astal
* Ahmad Bahar
* Mohammed Barakat
* Mohammad Bhar
* David Ben Avraham
* Adnan al-Bursh
* Rashid Dabour
* Mohamed al-Dalou
* Awni El-Dous
* Omar Ferwana
* Fathi Ghaben
* Ihab al-Ghussein
* Medo Halimy
* Sidra Hassouna
* Yazan al-Kafarneh
* Mohammad Khdour
* Hani Al-Masdar
* Ibrahim Qusaya
* Hind Rajab
* Mohammed Shabir
* Rashad Abu Sakhila
* Omar Abu Shawish
* Sufian Tayeh
* Wael Al Zard
* Talal Abu Zarifa
* Shaban al-Dalou
* Mahasen al-Khateeb
* Nagham Abu Samra
* Awda Hathaleen
* Suleiman Obeid

Spillover|

* Saleh al-Arouri
* Ali Hussein Barji
* Waibhav Anil Kale
* Razi Mousavi
* Wissam al-Tawil
* Sadegh Omidzadeh
* Mushtaq Talib Al-Saeedi
* Mohammad Reza Zahedi
* Fuad Shukr
* Ibrahim Aqil
* Hassan Nasrallah
* Ali Karaki
* Nabil Qaouk
* Abbas Nilforoushan
* Fatah Sharif
* Hashem Safieddine
* Mohammad Afif

Journalists|

* Issam Abdallah
* Samer Abu Daqqa
* Adel Zorob
* Ismail al-Ghoul
* Belal Jadallah
* Wafa Al-Udaini
* Hossam Shabat
* Fatima Hassouna
* Yahya Sobeih
* Hassan Aslih
* Ismail Abu Hatab
* List of journalists killed in the Gaza war

General topics|

* Children in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Related
people|

| Israelis|

* Sofie Berzon MacKie
* Batia Holin
* Nimrod Aloni
* Rachel Goldberg-Polin
* Einav Zangauker
* Yonatan Shamriz
* Omri Ronen
* Eitan Okun
* Yagel Oshri
* Inbal Rabin-Lieberman
* Amir Tibon

|

Palestinians|

* Mosab Abu Toha
* Wael Al-Dahdouh
* Plestia Alaqad
* Motaz Azaiza
* Bisan Owda
* Mustafa Moien Ayyash
* Hind Khoudary

Other
topics|

* 2024 Israeli secret document leak scandal
* Ahmed Abdel Khalek
* Al-Saqqa House
* Al Qarara Cultural Museum
* "All Eyes on Rafah"
* Attacks on US bases during the Gaza war
* Blockout 2024
* Eliminate Hamas and bring the hostages home
* From Ground Zero
* "From the river to the sea"
* Gaza Daily
* "Globalize the intifada"
* "Harbu Darbu"
* "Hind's Hall"
* Hind Rajab Foundation
* "Hurricane"
* Israeli demolition of Palestinian property
* "Leve Palestina"
* No Tech for Apartheid
* Palestine exception
* Palestinian sports during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
* "Options for a policy regarding Gaza's civilian population"
* Project Nimbus
* "Rajieen"

* Category

* v
* t
* e

War crimes

* List of war crimes

International
humanitarian law|

| Sources|

* Lieber Code
* Saint Petersburg Declaration of 1868
* Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907
* Geneva Protocol
* Geneva Conventions
* 1864
* First (1949)
* Second (1949)
* Third (1949)
* Fourth (1949)
* Protocol I (1977)
* Protocol II (1977)
* Responsibility to protect
* Rome Statute
* International Criminal Court

|

Topics|

* Civilians and non-combatants
* Civilian casualties
* Command responsibility / Superior orders
* Distinction
* Hors de combat
* Intent
* Joint criminal enterprise
* Medical neutrality
* Military necessity
* Prisoners of war
* Proportionality
* Protected persons
* Ruse de guerre
* Safe conduct

War crimes by type|

* Attacks on humanitarian workers / parachutists‡
* Child soldiers
* Collective punishment
* Criminal orders
* Death flights
* Death marches
* Desecration of graves
* Destruction of the healthcare system
* Enforced disappearances
* Extrajudicial killings
* Hostage-taking
* Human trophy collecting
* Indiscriminate attacks
* Looting
* Massacres
* Mass killings
* No quarter
* Perfidy
* Starvation
* Torture
* Use of human shields
* Wartime sexual violence

War crimes
committed by...|

* Australia
* Croatia
* Germany
* Wehrmacht
* Israel
* Italy
* Japan
* Palestinians
* Russia
* Soviet Union
* Serbia
* Turkey
* United Arab Emirates
* United Kingdom
* United States

War crimes by war|

* Afghanistan wars
* Soviet–Afghan War
* Second Chechen War
* Iraq War
* Korean War
* 2006 Lebanon War
* Libyan civil war (2011)
* Myanmar civil war (2021–present)
* Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
* First war
* Second war
* Gaza–Israel conflict
* 2008–2009
* 2023–present
* by Israel
* Russo-Ukrainian War
* War in Donbas
* Russian invasion of Ukraine
* Second Sino-Japanese War
* Manchukuo
* Sri Lankan civil war
* Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
* Syrian civil war
* Tigray war‎
* World War I
* World War II
* Allied
* Axis
* Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
* Yugoslav Wars
* Kosovo War

Related topics|

* War crimes trials
* War crime apologia
* List of global issues
* Post-conflict reception of war criminals

| Other international crimes|

* Atrocity crimes
* Crimes against humanity
* Crimes of aggression
* Genocide

|

‡ Does not apply to airborne forces (i.e. paratroopers)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Hamas

History|

| General|

* Original Charter
* Revised Charter
* 1992 deportations
* UNRWA Holocaust dispute
* 25th anniversary of Hamas (2012)

|

Fatah–Hamas conflict|

* Takeover of the Gaza Strip
* 2009 Hamas political violence in Gaza
* Reconciliation process
* Mecca Agreement
* Doha Agreement
* Cairo Agreement
* Algiers Declaration

Gaza–Israel conflict|

* First Intifada
* Second Intifada
* Gaza war
* Hostage crisis
* 2023 ceasefire
* 2025 ceasefire

Governance|

| Palestinian Authority|

* First Haniyeh Government
* Second Haniyeh Government
* Economic Sanctions

|

Gaza Strip|

* 2007
* 2012
* 2016
* Supreme Administrative Committee

Political wing|

| People|

* List of leaders of Hamas
* Khaled Mashal
* Ismail Haniyeh
* Yahya Sinwar
* Mohammed Sinwar
* Basem Naim
* Ali Baraka
* Mousa Abu Marzook
* Zaher Jabarin
* Issam al-Da'alis
* Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi
* hospital
* Women: Jamila Abdallah Taha al-Shanti
* Umm Nidal

|

Elections|

* 2005 presidential
* 2006 legislative

Other|

* Hamas temporary committee
* Islamic Salvation Party

Law and order|

* Interior Minister of the Gaza Strip
* Ihab al-Ghussein
* Police
* Faiq Mabhouh
* Palestinian Executive Force [ar]
* Said Seyam
* Palestinian law
* Executions

Military wing|

| Units|

* Palestinian Joint Operations Room
* Al-Qassam Brigades
* Nukbha
* Ayman Nofal
* Tulkarm Brigade
* al-Aqsa Flood Vanguards unit

|

People|

* Leader: Izz al-Din al-Haddad
* Spokesperson: Abu Ubaida
* Saleh al-Arouri
* Emad Akel
* Yahya Ayyash
* Salah Shehade
* Mohammed Deif
* Marwan Issa
* Adnan al-Ghoul
* Mazen Faqha
* Wa'el Nassar
* Ahmed Jabari
* Imad Abbas
* Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
* Nidal Farahat
* Yunis Al Astal
* Ahmed Ghandour
* Women
* Reem Riyashi
* Fatma Omar An-Najar

Operations|

* 1989: Killing of Avi Sasportas and Ilan Saadon
* 1992: Abduction and killing of Nissim Toledano
* 1993: Mehola Junction bombing
* Killing of Yaron Chen
* 1994: Afula bus suicide bombing
* Hadera bus station suicide bombing
* Abduction and killing of Nachshon Wachsman
* Dizengoff Street bus bombing
* Afula axe attack
* 1995: Ramat Gan bus bombing
* Ramat Eshkol bus bombing
* 1996: Jaffa Road bus bombings
* Dizengoff Center suicide bombing
* Murder of Yaron and Efrat Ungar
* 1997: Café Apropo bombing
* Mahane Yehuda Market bombings
* Ben Yehuda Street Bombing
* 2001: Azor attack
* Netanya bombing
* HaSharon Mall suicide bombing
* Dolphinarium discotheque
* Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing
* Nahariya train station suicide bombing
* Haifa bus 16 suicide bombing
* Immanuel bus attack
* 2002: Atzmona attack
* Café Moment bombing
* Park Hotel suicide bombing
* Kiryat HaYovel supermarket bombing
* Matza restaurant suicide bombing
* Yagur Junction bombing
* Rishon LeZion bombing
* Netanya Market bombing
* Patt Junction bus bombing
* Hebrew University bombing
* Meron Junction Bus 361 attack
* Allenby Street bus bombing
* Sonol gas station bombing
* Kiryat Menachem bus bombing
* 2003: Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing
* Mike's Place suicide bombing
* French Hill suicide bombings
* Davidka Square bus bombing
* Shmuel HaNavi bus bombing
* Tzrifin bus stop attack
* Café Hillel bombing
* 2004: Erez Crossing bombing
* Gaza Street bus bombing
* Ashdod Port bombings
* Beersheba bus bombings
* IDF outpost bombing
* 2005: Karni border crossing attack
* 2006: "Operation Dispersive Illusion"
* 2008: Breach of the Egypt–Gaza border
* Dimona suicide bombing
* Battle of al-Furqan
* 2009: Battle of Rafah
* 2010: August 2010 West Bank shooting attack
* 2011: School bus attack
* 2012: "Operation Stones of Baked Clay"
* 2014: "Operation Devouring Storm"
* Battle of Shuja'iyya
* 2021: Unity Intifada
* 2023–present: Battle of al-Aqsa Flood
* "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood"
* Givat Shaul shooting
* Shuja'iyya ambush
* Ra'anana attack
* "Ambush of the Righteous"
* Tal al-Sultan Ambush
* Jaffa shooting
* al-Funduq shooting

Weapons|

* Al-Bana
* Batar
* Qassam rocket
* Yasin (RPG)
* Al-Ghoul rifle

Social services|

* Islamic University of Gaza
* Mujama al-Islamiya
* Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund

Media|

* Al-Aqsa TV
* Tomorrow's Pioneers
* Al-Aqsa Voice Radio
* Al-Quds TV
* Shehab News Agency
* Al-Watan (defunct)

Foreign relations|

* Support from (Iran
* Israel
* Qatar
* Turkey)
* Russia
* Lebanon

Protests|

* 2011–2012 Palestinian protests
* 2019 Gaza economic protests
* 2023 Gaza economic protests
* 2025 Gaza Strip anti-Hamas protests

Related articles|

* Baby beheading hoax
* Criticism of Hamas
* Hamas war crimes
* Hamas most wanted playing cards
* Do you condemn Hamas?
* Palestinian Prisoners' Document

Category:Hamas
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template