Israel's practice of using civilians as human shields has a long history thst has been documented by many human rights organizations, like Btselem.
I am looking at a report from 2006 and reading how soldiers went into Beit Hanun in Gaza on July 20, 2006 and seized two buildings and held 6 residents that included two children on the staircases of the two buildings for 12 hours. And during the time they detained these civilians there were intense gunfire exchanges. The soldiers also demanded one occupant walk in front of them during a search of the buildings.
http://www.btselem.org/humanshields/20060720_human_shields_in_beit_hanun
Discussion of the law
"The testimonies taken by B'Tselem indicate that the Israeli soldiers who took over the buildings used the occupants as human shields. They placed civilians on the staircase, next to the rooms where the soldiers were located, with the intention of deterring the armed Palestinians from attacking the building and/or so that the civilians would be located between the soldiers and the armed Palestinians, should the latter manage to penetrate the building and try to shoot them. The soldiers used one of the occupants to open the doors of the apartments, apparently out of fear that other persons were hiding there and would open fire when the door was opened. International humanitarian law, which states the rules applying in armed conflicts, requires the sides to distinguish between combatants and
civilians, and to protect the lives and dignity of civilians. The Fourth Geneva Convention, in Article 27, states that civilians who find themselves in the hands of one of the parties are "entitled, in all circumstances, to respect'Â… They shall at all times be humanely treated, and shall be protected especially against all acts of violence or threats thereof'Â…"
Article 28 of the Convention expressly prohibits the use of civilians as human shields by
placing them alongside soldiers or military facilities, with the hope of attaining immunity from attack. The official commentary of the Convention refers to this practice, which was common in the Second World War as "cruel and barbaric." The Convention, in Articles 31 and 51, also prohibits the use of physical or moral coercion on civilians or forcing them to carry out
military tasks."
We see that with respect to the issue of Israel using Palestinian civilians and Palestinian children as human shields, there is a long documented history of this practice, with findings by reputable human rights organizations, that Israel has an established practice of using
civilains as human shields.
Sherri