By Euronews with AP
Published on
Israel continues its major offensive in the Gaza Strip, with the military claiming to have struck more than 100 targets in the past 24 hours, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The targets included buildings used by Hamas, a rocket launcher, tunnels and other infrastructure, the IDF claims.
At least 60 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in a 24 hour period, Gaza’s health ministry said on Friday.
On Saturday, six armed Palestinian men who were guarding humanitarian aid trucks—reportedly to prevent them from being looted—were killed in a drone strike by Israeli forces. The IDF alleges the men were members of Hamas, a claim that the group has denied, insisting that they were “members of the aid security and protection teams… who were performing purely humanitarian tasks.”
Since easing the aid blockade on Monday, Israel has said that 388 aid trucks have entered Gaza. However, Palestinian aid groups dispute this, stating that only 119 trucks have made it through the Karem Shalom crossing.
Reports of Palestinians as human shields
In a separate development, a recent Associated Press report cited testimonies from Palestinians and Israeli soldiers alleging that Israeli forces have used Palestinian detainees as human shields during operations in Gaza.
Dressed in uniform and with a camera on his head, Ayman Abu Hamadan said he was forced into homes in Gaza to check for bombs and gunmen. When an Israeli unit was done with him, he was handed to another.
“They beat me and told me: ‘You have no other option; do this or we’ll kill you,’” the 36-year-old said, describing the two and a half weeks he was held by the Israeli military in northern Gaza last summer.
An Israeli officer, who spoke anonymously out of fear of reprisal, said orders often came from higher up and that many platoons used Palestinians to clear sites.
Palestinians and Israeli soldiers told the AP that troops are routinely using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza, forcing them into buildings and tunnels to look for explosives or militants. They said the dangerous practice has become widespread during the 19-month war.
While Israel has denied the accusations, it stated that it strictly forbids the use of civilians as human shields and is currently investigating several reported cases.
The new round of fighting began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently holding 58, of whom 20 are believed to be alive.
A subsequent Israeli offensive has to date killed more than 53,762 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry whose figure does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
Video editor • Lucy Davalou