An investigation by the New York Times revealed that throughout the war in the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers and intelligence agents routinely forced Palestinian prisoners to perform life-threatening reconnaissance missions to avoid endangering Israeli soldiers on the battlefield.
Although the scale and scope of these missions is unknown, the American newspaper considers them illegal under “Israeli and international” laws.
According to an investigation by three of the newspaper’s correspondents, Palestinian detainees were forced to scout and photograph places in Gaza where the Israeli military believes Hamas fighters set up an ambush or booby-trap.
The practice has gradually spread since the beginning of the war in October last year.
Major international newspapers, including the British “Guardian”, as well as the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, have published similar reports indicating that the Israeli occupation army uses Palestinians as human shields.
