Civilians as human shields: Recognize how Hamas fights Israel

• In 2014, Hamas demanded Palestinians stay in their homes and become "Martyrs," despite Israel's warnings their houses would be bombed
   
• "You [Israelis] are fighting divine soldiers, who love death for Allah like you love life, and who compete among themselves for Martyrdom," - Hamas leader Muhammad Deif, during 2014 Gaza war
   
• Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, during 2014 Gaza war: 

• Hamas told Palestinians that "Martyrdom" for Allah and death in the war with Israel was "a privilege"
   
• "We are leading them [our people] to death - I mean, to confrontation" - Hamas' spokesman in 2014 Gaza war
   
• Paradoxically, it has been Israel which has tried to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians by warning of air strikes in advance, while it was Hamas who intentionally endangered them, causing many civilian deaths among Palestinians 

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

It is clear from past wars that Hamas doesn't care about the lives of the almost 2 million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian Media Watch has documented that Hamas unscrupulously uses Palestinian civilians as human shields when fighting Israel. This might be what is in store for Palestinians again, as Hamas escalates its missile attacks on Israeli civilian targets in towns and cities. Hamas has launched hundreds of missiles yesterday alone, forcing Israel to respond with military force.

In the 2014 war, Hamas openly and intentionally demanded that civilians ignore Israel's warningsprior to bombings of terrorists hiding among civilians. Hamas insisted they welcome death, so that Hamas could use them as human shields for their fighters and rocket launchers.

Hamas' spokesman at the time, Sami Abu Zuhri, called on Palestinians to "oppose the Israeli fighter planes with their bodies alone" which he said had "proven an effective method" against "the occupation:" 

Al-Aqsa TV reporter: "Witnesses are talking about a large crowd. The residents are still gathering to reach the Kaware family home in order to prevent the Zionist occupation's fighter planes from striking it." 

Al-Aqsa TV host: "People are reverting to a method that was very successful once." 

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri: "The people oppose the Israeli fighter planes with their bodies alone... I think this method has proven effective against the occupation. It also reflects the nature of our heroic and brave people, and we, the [Hamas] movement, call on our people to adopt this method in order to protect the Palestinian homes."

[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 8, 2014]

The spokesman of Hamas' Ministry of Interior demanded Palestinians stay in their homes, telling them to ignore Israeli warnings:

"[Israel] has been sending tens of thousands of voice messages to citizens' phones... asking them to evacuate their homes by a certain time... There is no reason to be concerned by them or pay attention to them and by no means should they be heeded." 

[Hamas Ministry of Interior spokesman's Facebook page, July 15, 2014]

When Israel warned Palestinians who lived near the Israeli border in the Northern Gaza Strip, an area from which Hamas launched long-range missiles, to evacuate their homes to areas of safety before Israel would bomb the launching sites, Hamas told civilians to remain in their homes in spite of the danger.

"We call on our Palestinian people, particularly the residents of northwest Gaza, not to obey what is written in the pamphlets distributed by the Israeli occupation army. We call on them to remain in their homes and disregard the demands to leave, however serious the threat may be." 

[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 13, 2014]

To support the policy of using civilians as human shields, Hamas TV presented dead civilians as being privileged to have died this way, achieving Shahada - "Martyrdom":

Hamas TV host: "Every soul has its time. These people - their time had come, and they were Martyred (i.e., Gaza civilians killed in war). They have gained [Paradise]. They have nothing in this world, especially in the Gaza Strip. There's no life in the Gaza Strip. What life can we have in the Gaza Strip? Being with Allah is better. Being with Allah is better. What we see is very hard but we won't surrender, Allah willing. The first to say it are the Martyrs' family. The first to say it are the Martyrs' mothers and fathers... Don't be disturbed by these images. He who was killed this way doesn't feel. By Allah, he does not feel. These are not my words, but the words of our beloved Prophet [Muhammad]: He who is Martyred doesn't feel. Only we suffer by these images. By Allah, [the Martyr] doesn't feel. His soul has ascended to Allah. His soul is with the Lord. His soul is inside a green bird. He is with Allah now. He is in Paradise. Only we suffer by these images... In other cities, in other countries, thousands die in earthquakes, floods, plane crashes, in ferry or shipwrecks, in natural or unnatural disasters. Thousands die. Thousands die but we don't know what their fate is with Allah. But we [in Gaza] are Martyrs. The enemy has killed us and we are Martyrs."

[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 20, 2014]

When Palestinians criticized the great loss of life among civilians, Hamas' spokesman belittled these "defeatist" Palestinians, suggesting their losses were nothing compared to Algerian losses in 1945. He also made a telling slip of the tongue when referring to the population in Gaza: "We are leading them to death," he said, then quickly corrected himself: "I mean, to confrontation." 

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri: "The resistance (i.e., Hamas) is truly glorifying our people and our nation. We are paying a price, but we remember our brothers in Algeria, who had at least a million and half Martyrs... In 1945, in a single day in Algeria, 45,000 Algerians died. In a single day. It wasn't described in Algeria's history as forsaking the blood of the Algerians, as some defeatists are describing today the number of Martyrs as 'trading with Palestinian blood and forsaking Palestinian blood'... We are not leading our people to execution as we stand by and look on. No. We are leading them to death - I mean, to confrontation."

[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 13, 2014]

To scare Israelis and possibly boost Palestinian morale, Hamas TV broadcast statements by two senior Hamas leaders, both emphasizing that Palestinians "love death for Allah." 

Hamas leader Muhammad Deif: "Today you [Israelis] are fighting divine soldiers, who love death for Allah like you love life, and who compete among themselves for Martyrdom like you flee from death." 

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh: "We love death like our enemies love life! We love Martyrdom, the way in which [Hamas] leaders died." 

[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 30, 2014]

Similarly, Hamas TV chose to broadcast a speech by a Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood leader who addressed Gaza civilians, reiterating that Martyrdom for Allah is "the highest wish":

Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait, Tareq Al-Suwaidan: "Without a doubt, the blood being spilled [in Gaza] is dear. But the equation is 'Those killed from our side are in Paradise, and those killed from their side in Hell.' (Hadith) We are not afraid of Martyrdom. Not long ago, you cried out loud: 'Death for Allah is our most exalted wish!' (Muslim Brotherhood slogan) You received the death you wanted. We have no problem with death. We are not like the children of Israel: 'And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life.' (Quran) Whereas we yearn for death and Martyrdom... Every mother - especially the mothers in Palestine, but every mother in the [Islamic] Nation, not just Palestine - must nurse her children on hatred of the sons of Zion. We hate them and they are our enemies. We will plant this in their [our children's] souls, so that a new generation will grow among us, which will erase them from the face of the earth."

[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), Aug. 1, 2014]

Paradoxically, in previous wars it has been Israel who tried to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians, while it has been Hamas who intentionally endangers them, causing many civilian deaths among Palestinians.

Hamas Says "Children and Women Make the Best Human Shields" - Matt Bradley (MSNBC)

David Keyes, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told MSNBC on Tuesday:

• "Hamas' interior minister said that 'children and women make the best human shields.' That's not my words. It's an exact quote from Fathi Hamad, Hamas' interior minister....What kind of people send women and children into the frontlines, hoping that they die?"
• "The same group which has been helping organize this march - Hamas...openly calls not just for the death of every Israeli soldier, but for the death of every Jew, and not just every Jew - every American."
• "This is what we're up against and it's a tragedy because instead of investing in their own people, they're actually telling their children to go and wage war against Israel. It's insanity."
• "There are people who stayed very far away from Israel's border and didn't try to infiltrate into Israel, and they can protest as much as they want. But when we saw masses of people gathering, with the express aim of infiltrating into Israel, in order to kill women and children, we did what any state in the world would have done, which is protect our people."
• "Iran not only fired 20 missiles just a few days ago at Israel. It also funded and armed Hizbullah and Hamas, who have launched tens of thousands of missiles at Israel. It's blown up Jews around the world. It's openly calling for our annihilation."
• "Those are acts of war which Israel has been the recipient of for far too long....Iran's aim is very clear - the total an

Haley: Hamas Uses Palestinian Civilians as Human Shields

Ambassador Nikki Haley

U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations

U.S. Mission to the United Nations

New York City

April 26, 2018

AS DELIVERED

Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you, Mr. Mladenov, for your briefing. I have spoken many times about my strong belief that this monthly debate should be used to shed light on the many different sources of conflict and instability in the Middle East. There are unfortunately many to choose from, some of which prompt disagreement in the Security Council.

But today I want to address an issue about which there should be no disagreement. That issue is the use of innocent children, women, and men as human shields. Tragically, this outrageous practice is reaching epic proportions in the region.

A week ago today, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning Hamas for its use of human shields. We were pleased to see this action. It's difficult to think of a more cowardly act – even for a terrorist – than hiding behind innocent civilians.

The use of human shields deliberately advantages those with no regard for human life, and disadvantages those who seek to minimize civilian casualties. And the use of human shields isn’t confined to any one conflict. It is present across the Middle East in virtually every conflict.

ISIS routinely used human shields in Iraq. ISIS fighters took advantage of the presence of civilians in their homes, their hospitals, their schools, and their mosques. When they were forced out of their positions, ISIS went from door to door, rounding up families and forcing them to accompany their fighters as they evacuated their locations.

Hezbollah has also endangered civilians by positioning its fighters and its weapons among them. Its terrorists use schools, hospitals, and apartment buildings to shield its war arsenal in Lebanon.

In the course of its massive arms buildup, Hezbollah has turned Lebanese villages into military compounds, stationing weapons depots, rocket launchers, and command posts in, around, and under the civilian population.

In blatant defiance of Security Council Resolution 1701, hundreds of Lebanese villages are home to Hezbollah rockets and fighters. There are press reports that every third or fourth house in South Lebanon is in some way being used by Hezbollah to shield its activities.

Another example is Yemen. The United Nations has reported that Houthi militants have used Yemeni civilians as human shields.

Lastly, Hamas has exploited and endangered the very Palestinian people it claims to represent by locating rocket launchers near schools, apartment buildings, hotels, churches, and UN facilities. It’s been less than a year since a Hamas terror tunnel was discovered underneath two UNRWA schools in Gaza.

That means UN facilities were being used as a cover for Hamas’s military infrastructure. Notice the threads of commonality that run through these examples. The first is Iran. As usual, Iran is the patron and protector of many of these groups that fight from behind the bodies of innocent civilians.

Groups that Iran has sponsored or supported have perfected the tactic of using human shields, and inspired others to do the same. Of course, this is part of Iran’s overarching efforts to destabilize the region – efforts that include illegal weapons shipments to Yemen, and invading Israeli air space with armed drones from Syrian territory.

The second common thread is the dramatic risk to civilians. For those willing to sacrifice the innocent, there is no way to lose. Innocent civilians either provide cover for military infrastructure, or they become victims that rally the international media to their cause.

Either way, innocent civilians get caught in the crossfire, and exploited for illegitimate military and political purposes. All decent nations and responsible militaries seek to minimize civilian casualties in warfare.

Those who want to reduce civilian casualties in the Middle East must focus their attention on the actors, including non-state actors, who intentionally keep their military infrastructure in close proximity to civilians.

The use of civilians to intentionally shield otherwise lawful military targets from attack is a war crime. As is so often the case, it is the most vulnerable who pay the price for the use of human shields. Commandeering homes puts families – who are already in war zones – at additional risk.

Locating rocket launchers next to schools eliminates safe places for children. Putting command posts in the hospital shows complete disregard for the sick, the injured, and the elderly. Each time ISIS, Hezbollah, or Hamas succeeds in using a village, or a family, or a child, to protect its terrorist operations, the use of this grotesque tactic grows.

It is a win for the groups that are willing to endanger civilian populations in order to accomplish their political objectives. And it is a loss for the people who play by the rules; who seek to minimize rather than maximize civilian casualties.

Anyone who cares about the safety of Lebanese families should condemn this practice. Anyone who cares about the lives of Yemenis or Palestinians should demand accountability for the militants who exploit them. Anyone who truly cares about children in Gaza should insist that Hamas immediately stop using children as cannon fodder in its conflict with Israel.

This is an issue that transcends the usual debates in this chamber. It is quite simply an issue of decency. Humanity itself loses when the barbaric practice of human shields is tolerated and unanswered. For humanity’s sake, the Security Council must rise up to address this threat.

Thank you.

60 Seconds On How Hamas Uses People As Human Shields

In this powerful video, you can see how Hamas uses human shields while attacking Israel – a double war crime – so they can gain world sympathy. 

Hamas is currently preparing for a new conflict with Israel. The terror organization has made it abundantly clear that they do not want peace. They glorify death, while Israel values life. This is the core of who they are. In this video, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explains the nature of Hamas. You will see how Hamas uses human shields to further their murderous cause. You will hear directly from Hamas how they view human shields to be an effective tactic against what they call the “occupation”.

There are many people who deny that Hamas uses human shields. There are many who accuse Israel of murdering children. The fact is, it is actually Hamas that intentionally causes many casualties. And it is the IDF that values the lives of Palestinian children, acting with great caution when it knows that Hamas is using children as human shields. We urge you to please SHARE this video.

Why Does Hamas Use Civilians as Human Shields? Latest IDF video shows how Hamas embeds its rocket launchers and military infrastructure in civilian areas and then fires on Israel.

Even though Operation Protective Edge has technically ended, the IDF is continuing to make public the video evidence it collected regarding Hamas’s use of civilians as human shields.

On Thursday, the IDF released another video on the subject, showing how Hamas embeds its rocket launchers and military infrastructure in civilian areas and then fires on Israel. By doing so, the terror group homes to draw return fire and cause maximum damage to civilian areas.

Hamas has openly boasted about the "success" of the strategy of using civilians as human shields. The group has also used UN-run schools in Gaza as rocket storage sites.

Civilian Deaths in Gaza Hamas’ dead baby strategy works because the media facilitates it. Alan Dershowitz

The media loves to count the dead bodies on each side of a conflict. It’s much easier to count that to explain. Hamas knows this. That’s why they employ what has come to be known as “the dead baby strategy”.

Hamas’ strategy since Israel left Gaza in 2005 has been exactly the same. The media response has been exactly the same. And Hamas will continue to employ a strategy that causes many Palestinian civilians to die as long as the media keeps up its thoughtless body count.

Here’s the way it works: Hamas deliberately fires its rockets from densely populated civilian areas, using hospitals, disability centers, mosques and schools as launching sites. This puts Israel to the tragic choice of either allowing the rockets to endanger its civilians or to destroy the rocket launchers, thereby risking civilian casualties among Hamas’ human shields. Often Israel chooses to forgo attacking military targets, so as not to put Palestinian civilians at risk. Sometimes it has no choice, because the rocket fire against its civilians is persistent. Palestinian civilians are killed despite Israel’s best efforts precisely because Hamas wants civilians to be killed, especially if these civilians are children, women or the elderly. Hamas stands ready to parade these human shields in front of the media which is eager to show the dead and count the bodies.

Hamas could easily reduce the death and injury toll among its civilians by simply allowing them to go underground into tunnels and shelters which abound throughout Gaza. But Hamas has a deliberate policy of refusing to allow civilians to enter the tunnels or shelters. They reserve these places of refuge for their fighters and commanders, which explains why so few Hamas fighters have been killed. If Hamas were to reverse its policy and allow civilians into the shelters while requiring its fighters to stay above ground, the ratio of civilians to fighters killed would dramatically change. That is why in each of the wars between Hamas and Israel there have been more Palestinian than Israeli civilian deaths and injuries. It is part of Hamas’ dead baby strategy and it works, because the media facilitates it.

The media also emphasizes the fact that thus far no Israelis have been killed by Hamas rocket fire. Indeed some media and international organizations seem implicitly to be condemning Israel for protecting the lives of its own citizens, by repeatedly pointing out there has been only one fatality, while Palestinian deaths have reached over 200. The reason there has been only one Israeli death so far is because Israel spends hundreds of millions of dollars trying to protect its civilians, while Hamas spends its resources deliberately exposing its civilians to the risks of Israeli counterattacks. Israel has built shelters all throughout the country and has spent a fortune on the Iron Dome system. The results have been impressive, though many Israelis suffer from trauma, shock and the inevitable long term consequences of being exposed to constant rocket fire.

How many times have you heard, seen or read the body counts: nearly 200 Palestinians dead, no Israelis dead. This is usually accompanied by an accusation that Israel is violating the international law requirement of “proportionality.” This is a misuse of the term, which has a precise meaning in international law that reflects a broader morality. Under international law, a nation has the right to attack military targets. Period! It doesn’t matter whether the rockets coming from these launchers have as yet succeeded in their task of killing civilians. There can be no doubt under international law that rocket launchers, and the fighters who employ them are legitimate military targets. Israel is therefore entitled to attack these targets, even if no Israeli civilians have been killed, so long as it can do so without causing disproportionate civilian casualties.

This rule was not addressed to an enemy that deliberately uses human shields to protect its military targets and combatants against legitimate attacks. Proportionality is not judged by the number of civilians actually killed by Hamas rockets, but rather by the risks posed to Israelis. These risks have been diminished, but not eliminated by the Iron Dome system. They have also been considerably diminished by Israel’s counterattacks on the missile launchers and those who employ them. Without these counterattacks, it is highly likely that more Hamas missiles would have made it through the Iron Dome system which has been approximately 85% effective. Israel has every right under the rules of proportionality to attack these military targets, so long as they take reasonable efforts to reduce civilian casualties. They have done so by leafleting, by calling, and by other methods of warning civilians to leave target areas. Hamas leaders, on the other hand, have urged, and sometimes compelled, their civilians to remain in harm’s way as human shields.

The media, by emphasizing the comparative body counts without providing the reasons for the disparity, play into the hands of Hamas, and encourage that terrorist organization, to continue to pursue its dead baby strategy. So the next time those in the media promote a body count without explanation, they should point a finger at themselves for contributing to this deadly count.

This article originally appeared in the Jerusalem Post.

Hamas using children as human shields