Verifying footage of human shields in Gaza and the West Bank

Several videos filmed by mobile phones and military drones appear to show individuals – alleged to be Palestinian – blindfolded, handcuffed, tied to vehicle bonnets and dressed in military attire.

Where possible, links have been included to the incidents documented on our Israel-Gaza Conflict Map. In some cases, privacy concerns or the graphic nature of footage means we may have opted to remove links. If you require further information about these cases, please get in touch. 

Allegations of human shields have emerged repeatedly throughout the decades of conflict, with either side accusing the other of using civilians to shield, favour or impede military operations. 

The Israeli Supreme Court banned the use of human shields in 2005, and the practice is prohibited under Rule 97 of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). But twenty years on, alleged violations continue to surface online, with footage shared to open sources shedding vital light on the potential use of human shields across Gaza and the West Bank. 

Rights groups and Israeli soldiers have spoken of Palestinians being used to search buildings and tunnels for explosives and militants. It is a practice commonly referred to as the “mosquito protocol”, according to some Israeli soldiers who have spoken to the media.

A recent article by the Associated Press (AP) described Israel’s use of human shields in Gaza as “systematic”. The Israeli military responded to those allegations by saying it strictly prohibits the use of civilians as shields and is investigating several cases. 

An emerging pattern

Hamas has often been accused of using human shields by embedding itself within civilian areas in Gaza, supported by a tunnel system running beneath the territory.

Since the most recent conflict broke out following the 7 October attacks, CIR has noticed a pattern emerging: multiple incidents relating to the use of unarmed individuals as human shields have been captured on mobile phones and military drones. CIR has geolocated several incidents across Gaza and the West Bank, indicating that the practice is potentially taking place across Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). 

These videos show individuals, alleged to be Palestinians, blindfolded, handcuffed, tied to vehicle bonnets, and dressed in military attire. Some feature soldiers wearing uniforms consistent with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). 

This footage [IPIN998] was obtained by Al Jazeera and posted to X on 2 May 2024. According to TRT World, the footage “dates back to December 2023”; however, based on the available content, CIR could not independently verify the exact date the incident occurred. It is one of many alleged instances of Palestinians being used as human shields by Israeli forces. CIR geolocated the footage to Shujaiya, a neighbourhood in Gaza City [31.5040, 34.4664]. 

Source: Younis Tiwari via X, obtained from Al Jazeera Breaking News

In the video, a man dressed in black stands out amongst a group of Israeli soldiers¹ clad in green. He is blindfolded, then sent into the streets of Shujaiya. 

A drone camera pans upward, revealing the man alone in the rubble as he appears to move hesitantly through the desolate landscape. He is searching for Hamas militants, according to the caption that accompanies the video. 

Another drone hovers nearby. The man passes a school and can be seen trying the door of an apartment block, but it is stuck. According to the audio narration, “the soldier orders him to open the doors and look for anything alive” [00:39-00:43].

Degrading treatment

Some videos have been graphic in nature. On 30 June 2024, footage [IPIN2828] emerged showing at least six armed IDF soldiers¹ standing beside an armoured vehicle and a stripped, injured man with his hands bound behind his back.  Using Google Earth satellite imagery, CIR verified that this incident occurred in Hamad town, northwestern Khan Younis [31.3768, 34.3179]. 

The man appears to have at least six red circular lesions throughout his body, including on his neck, torso, and right thigh, which CIR assessed as consistent with wounds caused by airsoft and pellet guns. 

In the video, the detained individual is seen entering a damaged residential building and is followed up a stairwell by a soldier holding a flashlight. There are puncture holes in the walls and scattered debris in the room they enter. Two other casualties are also visible within the building.

In other instances, individuals, potentially being used as human shields, were driven on the bonnet of Israeli military vehicles. 

In footage [IPIN1342] posted to X on 22 June 2024, a male individual, who appears to have an injured shoulder, is being driven on the bonnet of an Israeli MDT David² in Jenin, in the northern West Bank. A second vehicle follows closely behind. CIR verified that this incident took place west of Jenin [32.4538, 35.2752], but could not verify how the individual’s injuries were sustained. 

The vehicles are filmed passing two Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulances within a residential neighbourhood. According to the accompanying post by PRCS, Israeli forces had prevented its crews from providing first aid to the individual, detaining him, before eventually allowing crews to transfer the man to the hospital. 

In another video, the two military vehicles – both with their front number plates obscured with rope – are then seen driving in a second location, approximately 200 metres from the first location, still with the individual on the bonnet of the first vehicle.

Just over a month later, a photograph [IPIN1451] was shared by Quds News Network on X, appearing to show a similar incident. 

The image shows an individual lying on the bonnet of an Israeli MDT David,  with a soldier visible in the passenger seat. CIR could not independently verify the individual’s condition and whether they had sustained any injuries, but was able to geolocate the image to Tulkarm, the northern West Bank [32.3036, 35.0389].

Military equipment or uniforms also feature in several of the videos we have documented. Some of the cases show individuals who are alleged to be Palestinians, dressed in fatigues that are consistent with Israeli military uniform³. Some soldiers who have been interviewed by the media argue that this is a protection measure to avoid misidentification by other forces operating in the area.

Footage [IPIN408] published on 31 January 2024 shows a blindfolded detainee – dressed in a green military uniform, bulletproof vest, and medical facemask – handcuffed next to a large group of IDF personnel. 

Source: Al Jazeera Arabic via X

The incident was filmed live by Al Jazeera at the entrance of Qalandiya Refugee Camp, south of Ramallah [31.8674, 35.2256]. In the footage, approximately 20 armed soldiers can be seen moving down a street adjacent to the UNRWA boys’ school. Al Jazeera claimed the detainee was a “Palestinian youth” who was being used by the soldiers as a human shield during an Israeli military raid on the refugee camp.

One armed soldier forces the detainee to walk in front of him. Handcuffs are affixed over the man’s boots and connected to a second pair of handcuffs, which attach to a third set that can be seen protruding from beneath the man’s bulletproof vest. The man can be seen forced to run awkwardly to keep up with the soldiers.

Vulnerable civilians

There have also been reports of IDF soldiers using children and the elderly as human shields. On 25 May 2024, footage emerged on X showing an armed Israeli soldier standing in a doorway next to an elderly man wearing civilian clothing, appearing to give instructions. Journalist Younis Tiwari, who reshared the footage, claimed that “an elderly man appears to be used as a human shield, with soldiers instructing him to move to a specific location”. CIR cannot verify that the man is being used as a human shield, and was unable to geolocate the footage as it was filmed inside. Tiwari claimed that the footage was filmed in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. 

In the video, the soldier can be seen pointing outside of the doorway down a residential road, before the elderly man steps into the street. Possible gunshots can also be overheard in the background of the footage as the man is being instructed to exit the building. The footage was filmed by another individual wearing a military uniform from inside the building, which has sustained internal damage and has rubble and debris strewn across the floor. 

Protected sites

Human shields are used in conflicts in a variety of ways, with residential neighbourhoods, as well as individuals, used as shields. Hamas has frequently been accused of embedding itself within an expansive tunnel network running underneath civilian areas in Gaza, including hospitals  – a factor Israel has used to account for a high civilian death toll in Gaza. 

CIR verified imagery shared on 8 May 2024 [IPIN1055] showing IDF military personnel and military vehicles at the Turkish Friendship Hospital in al-Zahra, Gaza [31.4774, 34.4166]. Planet satellite images shared on X from 17 April 2024 and 8 May 2024 show what appear to be armoured vehicles at the hospital. Approximately 40 vehicles can be seen in the Planet satellite image from 17 April 2025, and approximately 24 in the image from 8 May 2024.

The incidents described above are just a snapshot of the cases we have documented to date. As we publish this piece, we continue to verify other incidents that have emerged in recent weeks, alleging to show the use of human shields in Gaza and the West Bank. 

Open source intelligence (OSINT) remains a vital tool for bringing these incidents to light and documenting the ongoing war in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). But attaining the full picture of what is unfolding in each video remains challenging. On-the-ground reporting, including testimonies from all parties involved, continues to be essential to establishing a more comprehensive understanding.

Find more verified data in our Israel-Gaza Conflict Map.

¹ At least two of the soldiers visible appear to have Israeli Special Operations Forces (SOF) insignia on their uniform [3:26, 3:33], although the specific unit could not be determined from the available footage.

² MDT Davids are Armoured Personnel Carriers commonly used by the Israeli military, according to MDT’s website.

³ Israeli military uniform is dark olive green and typically features insignias and patches linking to soldiers’ units and brigades.