Sun Feb 16 19:38:51 UTC 2025: **Israeli Military Allegedly Uses 80-Year-Old Palestinian Man as Human Shield, Leading to His and Wife’s Deaths**
GAZA CITY – An investigation by Israeli outlet The Hottest Place in Hell, published in partnership with +972 magazine, alleges that the Israeli military used an 80-year-old Palestinian man as a human shield, resulting in the deaths of both him and his wife. According to the report, soldiers from the Nahal Brigade tied an explosive cord around the elderly man’s neck and forced him to scout buildings for eight hours. He was told that failure to comply would result in his death.
Afterward, the couple was ordered to flee their home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood. However, another Israeli battalion, unaware of the situation, reportedly shot and killed them on the street. Soldiers involved in the incident confirmed the use of the elderly man as a “mosquito”—a tactic where civilians are used to protect soldiers from potential harm.
The report details how the couple, initially unable to evacuate due to mobility issues, were forced to cooperate despite their age and vulnerability. The Israeli army has yet to comment on the allegations. This incident adds to a growing number of reported instances of Israeli forces using Palestinian civilians as human shields, a practice explicitly forbidden under international law. Previous reports detail similar tactics, including the use of abducted and uniformed civilians in tunnels and buildings, and the tying of a wounded Palestinian to a military jeep. The UN has strongly condemned such actions.
First Piper 