Israel acknowledges possible forced use of civilians in Gaza military operations, launches investigation

For the first time, the Israeli military has acknowledged that there is “reasonable suspicion” to believe soldiers forced Palestinian civilians to take part in military operations.

The Israeli military is investigating soldiers’ use of Palestinian civilians as human shields during operations in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN on Tuesday night. This is the first time the military has acknowledged that there is “reasonable suspicion” to believe soldiers forced civilians to take part in military operations. CNN has reported on Israeli soldiers forcing civilians in Gaza to enter potentially booby-trapped houses and tunnels in order to avoid putting troops in harm’s way. “In several cases, the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division opened investigations after reasonable suspicion arose regarding the use of Palestinians for military missions during the operations,” the IDF said. The military would not confirm how many investigations had been opened, nor who was being investigated. “Those investigations are still ongoing, and accordingly, other details cannot be provided at this time,” the IDF said.