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StratCom
stratcomcoe.org › cuploads › pfiles › hamas_human_shields.pdf pdf
Hamas’ use of human shields in Gaza IMAGE – SHUTTERSTOCK
The IDF estimates that Hamas has ... Gaza the third most densely populated polity in the world.7 · The practice of using human shields is common to most violent extremists operating in the Gaza Strip....
usage of civilians and civilian infrastructure for military purposes
Human shields in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict refers to tactics employed in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict where non-combatants are placed in the line of fire to prevent military objectives from being targeted without harming … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Human_shields_in_the_Israeli–Palestinian_conflict
Human shields in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict - Wikipedia
1 week ago - The accusation of the use of human shields is a common theme in the conflict. The use of Palestinians as human shields by the Israel Defense Forces has been documented by human rights organizations. Hamas has also been accused of using human shields by Israel and its allies.
Discussions

Where is the evidence that Hamas uses hospitals as human shields, or human shields in general?
I compiled and posted this a while back, hopefully it's useful to you. Sources from Fatah, Amnesty International, and The Palestinian Health Ministry among others are cited. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/05/gaza-palestinians-tortured-summarily-killed-by-hamas-forces-during-2014-conflict/ "As well as carrying out unlawful killings, others abducted by Hamas were subjected to torture, including severe beatings with truncheons, gun butts, hoses and wire or held in stress positions. Some were interrogated and tortured or otherwise ill-treated in a disused outpatient’s clinic within the grounds of Gaza City’s main al-Shifa hospital." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/31/why-hamas-stores-its-weapons-inside-hospitals-mosques-and-schools/ "The Palestinian Health Ministry, run by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, accused Hamas' security apparatus Saturday of commandeering a number of hospital wards in the Gaza Strip for the purpose of converting them into interrogation and imprisonment compounds." https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/while-israel-held-its-fire-the-militant-group-hamas-did-not/2014/07/15/116fd3d7-3c0f-4413-94a9-2ab16af1445d_story.html "'The minister was turned away before he reached the hospital, which has become a de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders, who can be seen in the hallways and offices.' Back in 2006, PBS even aired a documentary showing how gunmen roam the halls of the hospital, intimidate the staff, and deny them access to protected locations within the building—where the camera crew was obviously prohibited from filming." https://stratcomcoe.org/cuploads/pfiles/hamas_human_shields.pdf "Hamas’ most common uses of human shields include: „ Firing rockets, artillery, and mortars from or in proximity to heavily populated civilian areas, often from or near facilities which should be protected according to the Geneva Convention (e.g. schools, hospitals, or mosques)." https://www.csis.org/analysis/understanding-hamass-and-hezbollahs-uses-information-technology "Nonetheless, Hamas is skilled at fusing the activities of its military and political branches, increasing the probability that counterterrorism responses will harm civilians. Hamas-linked hospitals, for example, increase the group’s popularity among Gazans, enable it to order supplies it can siphon off for military purposes, and provide access to a pool of personnel it can vet based on performance and dedication in a legitimate activity." https://www.timesofisrael.com/finnish-tv-rockets-fired-from-gaza-hospital/ "A television reporter from the Finnish Helsingin Sanomat confirmed Friday that Hamas has been firing rockets out of the Al-Shifa Hospital." https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/20683/ Fatah sources reported that Hamas prepared the ground floor of the hospital’s X-ray department as a jail and interrogation facility." 2) The Salam Fayyad government’s ministry of health issued an official statement accusing Hamas’ security services of having turned medical centers into jails and interrogation facilities during Operation Cast Lead. The statement expressed the surprise of the Palestinian people and the entire world that after the IDF operation, Hamas’ security services took over the Shifa’a hospital, especially the cancer ward and the new building which was supposed to be used by specialists. According to the statement, turning the medical facilities into interrogation centers entailed removing the medical personnel, who had answered the call of the Fayyad government’s ministry of health and returned to work in view of the IDF operation in the Gaza Strip (Ma’an News Agency, February 7, 2009). 3) An article in the Italian Corriere della Sera, published on January 22, 2009, included a statement made by a Gazan named Magah al-Rahman, who said that Hamas had set up an interrogation center for Fatah prisoners in the basement of Shifa’a. He said he heard about it from Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine operatives. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/samharris
338
92
July 10, 2024
Is there any evidence of Hamas using Human Shields?
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both investigated various claims of Palestinian militant group using human shields and been unable to verify any of them. Merely having fighters or military infrastructure in close proximity to civilians or civilian infrastructure does not by itself constitute human shielding. If that were the case, then every army that ever operated in an urban environment would be guilty. Additionally, even when one side of a conflict is using human shields, it doesn't exempt the other side from their responsibility to protect civilians. Also, just think about it. In 75 years of conflict, Israel has never once shown any compunctions about killings innocent Palestinians. Why would Hamas use human shields to deter Israeli attacks if it doesn't actually deter them? Just to make Israel look bad? Again, there's 75 years of evidence to show Israel doesn't need that much prodding to commit acts of cruelty and violence against Palestinians. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/socialism
106
357
November 10, 2023
"Hamas is constantly hiding among civilians, in schools and hospitals and nurseries"
Pro-palestinians be like : Even if hamas filmed the whole thing , it still didn't happen. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/IsraelPalestine
823
70
January 1, 2025
Quick question:
Hypothetical: tomorrow, a Russian tank division shows up to the battlefield with 20 Russian civilians apiece handcuffed to the roof of each tank. The Ukrainian commander has two options: 1) hold fire unless he can think of an effective way of killing the tank without hurting anyone, in which case his position will almost certainly be overrun; or 2) open fire, knowing that all 20 will be vaporised by any hit that can kill the 4-man tank crew. If he picks option 1, the same question will be put to the defenders of Kiev, and if they pick option 1, the defenders of Warsaw, and if they pick option 1, the defenders of Paris. Do you think the Ukrainian commander is monstrous when he inevitably picks option 2? Or do you save your outrage for the Russian commander who put his own civilians in harm's way? More on reddit.com
🌐 r/IsraelPalestine
165
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May 24, 2025
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Henry Jackson Society
henryjacksonsociety.org › wp-content › uploads › 2025 › 05 › HJS-Hamass-Human-Shield-Strategy-in-Gaza-Report-WEB.pdf pdf
DEMOCRACY | FREEDOM | HUMAN RIGHTS HAMAS’S HUMAN SHIELD STRATEGY IN GAZA
The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) defines the criminal act of human shields as “Utilizing the · presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces · immune from military operations.” 11 Hamas’s use of human shields increases the likelihood, and
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/samharris › where is the evidence that hamas uses hospitals as human shields, or human shields in general?
r/samharris on Reddit: Where is the evidence that Hamas uses hospitals as human shields, or human shields in general?
July 10, 2024 -

I just got permanently banned from r/palestine (unsurprisingly not a sub that is particularly committed to free speech) for the crime of pointing out that Hamas uses hospitals as large human shields.

However, to their credit, in banning me, they left me with some links regarding some common myths about Hamas. One of them was the "human shields" myth.

Upon following up on their arguments, I can't actually find much in the way of reliable evidence from anyone or anything (that is not directly from the IDF) that corroborates Hamas using human shields. I feel like Sam is more than a little to hasty to buy into claims that come from Israel, as if they don't also have a sophisticated propaganda machine up and running.

So with that said: can someone point me in the direction of reliable evidence that Hamas uses human shields?

Top answer
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I compiled and posted this a while back, hopefully it's useful to you. Sources from Fatah, Amnesty International, and The Palestinian Health Ministry among others are cited. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/05/gaza-palestinians-tortured-summarily-killed-by-hamas-forces-during-2014-conflict/ "As well as carrying out unlawful killings, others abducted by Hamas were subjected to torture, including severe beatings with truncheons, gun butts, hoses and wire or held in stress positions. Some were interrogated and tortured or otherwise ill-treated in a disused outpatient’s clinic within the grounds of Gaza City’s main al-Shifa hospital." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/31/why-hamas-stores-its-weapons-inside-hospitals-mosques-and-schools/ "The Palestinian Health Ministry, run by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, accused Hamas' security apparatus Saturday of commandeering a number of hospital wards in the Gaza Strip for the purpose of converting them into interrogation and imprisonment compounds." https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/while-israel-held-its-fire-the-militant-group-hamas-did-not/2014/07/15/116fd3d7-3c0f-4413-94a9-2ab16af1445d_story.html "'The minister was turned away before he reached the hospital, which has become a de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders, who can be seen in the hallways and offices.' Back in 2006, PBS even aired a documentary showing how gunmen roam the halls of the hospital, intimidate the staff, and deny them access to protected locations within the building—where the camera crew was obviously prohibited from filming." https://stratcomcoe.org/cuploads/pfiles/hamas_human_shields.pdf "Hamas’ most common uses of human shields include: „ Firing rockets, artillery, and mortars from or in proximity to heavily populated civilian areas, often from or near facilities which should be protected according to the Geneva Convention (e.g. schools, hospitals, or mosques)." https://www.csis.org/analysis/understanding-hamass-and-hezbollahs-uses-information-technology "Nonetheless, Hamas is skilled at fusing the activities of its military and political branches, increasing the probability that counterterrorism responses will harm civilians. Hamas-linked hospitals, for example, increase the group’s popularity among Gazans, enable it to order supplies it can siphon off for military purposes, and provide access to a pool of personnel it can vet based on performance and dedication in a legitimate activity." https://www.timesofisrael.com/finnish-tv-rockets-fired-from-gaza-hospital/ "A television reporter from the Finnish Helsingin Sanomat confirmed Friday that Hamas has been firing rockets out of the Al-Shifa Hospital." https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/20683/ Fatah sources reported that Hamas prepared the ground floor of the hospital’s X-ray department as a jail and interrogation facility." 2) The Salam Fayyad government’s ministry of health issued an official statement accusing Hamas’ security services of having turned medical centers into jails and interrogation facilities during Operation Cast Lead. The statement expressed the surprise of the Palestinian people and the entire world that after the IDF operation, Hamas’ security services took over the Shifa’a hospital, especially the cancer ward and the new building which was supposed to be used by specialists. According to the statement, turning the medical facilities into interrogation centers entailed removing the medical personnel, who had answered the call of the Fayyad government’s ministry of health and returned to work in view of the IDF operation in the Gaza Strip (Ma’an News Agency, February 7, 2009). 3) An article in the Italian Corriere della Sera, published on January 22, 2009, included a statement made by a Gazan named Magah al-Rahman, who said that Hamas had set up an interrogation center for Fatah prisoners in the basement of Shifa’a. He said he heard about it from Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine operatives.
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https://unwatch.org/un-admits-palestinians-fired-rockets-unrwa-schools/
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Lawfare
lawfaremedia.org › article › the-dangerous-failure-to-hold-hamas-accountable-for-using-human-shields
The Dangerous Failure to Hold Hamas Accountable for Using Human Shields | Lawfare
May 7, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Defense Law of War Manual adds that “[t]he party that employs human shields in an attempt to shield military objectives from attack assumes responsibility for their injury, although the attacker may share this responsibility if it fails to take feasible precautions.” Thus, under the U.S. Department of Defense interpretation of the human shields prohibition, Hamas and not the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) assumes responsibility for casualties among Gaza civilians used by Hamas as human shields.
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Lieber Institute West Point
lieber.westpoint.edu › home › israel – hamas 2023 symposium – what is and is not human shielding?
Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – What is and is not Human Shielding? - Lieber Institute West Point
September 6, 2024 - There, Secretary-General Guterres explained bluntly that “protecting civilians can never mean using them as human shields.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed: “Palestinian civilians must be protected, and Hamas must cease to use them as human shields.” The UK Minister of State for Security, Tom Tugendhat, was more direct, charging, “We know that Hamas are using innocent Palestinian civilians as human shields; they have embedded themselves in civilian communities.” So too was Germany’s Foreign Minister, who warned, “We must not be fooled by Hamas’ playbook,” and stressed “their use of women and children in Gaza as human shields, and their hiding of weapons under supermarkets, apartment blocks and even hospitals.” Representatives of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Ukraine echoed such condemnation.
Find elsewhere
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FDD
fdd.org › home › israel › hamas officials admit its strategy is to use palestinian civilians as human shields
Hamas officials admit its strategy is to use Palestinian civilians as human shields
November 2, 2023 - National Security Council spokesman John Kirby explained on CNN, “Hamas actually gave a counterorder telling Palestinians in Gaza to stay at home. Why? Because having human shields, they think, protects them.”
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Middle East Institute
mei.edu › home › human shields or shielding israel from accountability?
Human shields or shielding Israel from accountability? - Middle East Institute
November 20, 2025 - Israel accuses Hamas of using human ... first by conducting military operations in proximity to residential areas and critical infrastructure — such as hospitals and schools — in an attempt to deter the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from attacking these areas, and second ...
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United Nations
un.org › unispal › wp-content › uploads › 2021 › 06 › AHRC47NGO72_250621.pdf pdf
GE.21-08587(E) Human Rights Council Forty-seventh session 21 June–9 July 2021
Perspective, U. PA. J. INT’L L. (2015), pp. 119-123 (discussing Hamas tactics of embedding military ... Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/INTRO/470. 13 For a detailed discussion on prohibition against human shields, see Geoffrey S.
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AIPAC
aipac.org › resources › hamas-using-palestinian-civilians-as-human-shields-to-attack-israel-na87m-z6s6j-c5ba4
AIPAC - Hamas: Using Palestinian Civilians as Human Shields to Attack Israel
May 13, 2025 - Hamas’ actions constitute a double war crime: Using Palestinian civilians as human shields to indiscriminately attack Israeli civilians.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Use_of_human_shields_by_Hamas
Use of human shields by Hamas
April 13, 2026 - The accusation of the use of human shields is a common theme in the conflict. The use of Palestinians as human shields by the Israeli Defense Forces has been documented by human rights organizations. Hamas has also been accused of using human shields by Israel and its allies.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/socialism › is there any evidence of hamas using human shields?
r/socialism on Reddit: Is there any evidence of Hamas using Human Shields?
November 10, 2023 -

One of the main talking points for the carpet bombing of Gaza and the overall genocide of the Palestinian people is that “Hamas is using human shields”. We all know it’s how the IDF excuses their bombing of civilians. However, I’ve literally never seen a shred of evidence supporting this claim. You would think seeing that Gaza is the most heavily surveillanced area in the world the IDF would constantly be coming out with evidence of Hamas storing arms in the school and hospitals they bomb or firing rockets in residential neighborhoods. So, my question is: has there actually been any evidence supporting these claims the IDF makes?

I’ve seen Israelis use fake/wrong videos claiming it was Hamas. I’ve also seen photo and video evidence of the IDF using human shields. But, where’s the Hamas human shield evidence?

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Israel Government
gov.il › en › pages › hamas-use-of-civilians-as-human-shields
Hamas' use of civilians as human shields
Jump to content · Call The Government Central Support Center · My Gov · Nivi - beta version · Good evening, · How can I help you · What's your question · This chat uses AI and may make mistakes. Do not enter personal data. Learn more · Government AI Assistant · Useful information
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Ceasefire
ceasefire.ca › the-debate-about-gazas-death-count-and-human-shields
The debate about Gaza’s death count and human shields
July 18, 2025 - The conclusion drawn by Swedish ... Gaza War[7] is that “unjust warriors” such as Hamas, by using human shields are culpable for “any number” of deaths resulting from an Israeli response....
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IDF
idf.il › homepage › mini sites › hamas › hamas caught using human shields in gaza
Hamas Caught Using Human Shields in Gaza | IDF
July 8, 2025 - The IDF is currently engaged in ... and missile launchers in densely populated areas. They also send men, woman and children to act as human shields for terrorists....
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United Nations
un.org › home
Hamas fires deadly rockets targeting Israeli civilians,using Palestinians as human shields - Letter from Israel - Question of Palestine
March 11, 2019 - Thousands of these rockets were launched from densely populated areas. Hamas is committing a double war crime — first by using Palestinian civilians as human shields and second by intentionally targeting innocent Israeli civilians.