Hamas, the Islamist militant group governing the Gaza Strip since 2007, has employed human shields in conflicts with Israel, a practice designated as a war crime under the International Criminal Court's statute. This involves utilizing civilians or protected persons to shield military points from operations. Hamas launches rockets, positions infrastructure, and fights from residential and commercial areas, exploiting Israel's aim to minimize collateral damage and Western sensitivity to civilian deaths.
The strategy creates a win-win for Hamas. If the IDF uses force leading to civilian losses, Hamas accuses Israel of war crimes via lawfare, potentially imposing sanctions. If the IDF restrains, Hamas safeguards assets and continues fighting. This logic draws from Hezbollah's tactics in Lebanon, aware of Israel's public support fracturing over casualties, with left-wing critics questioning operations.
Gaza's dense population - 1.85 million in 362 square kilometers - facilitates this. Militants hide rockets in homes, tunnels, and protected sites like schools and mosques. Common methods include firing from populated areas, locating bases near civilians, protecting terrorist homes, and using civilians for intelligence.
Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and EU, leads with its Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, grown to 20,000-30,000 since 1991. Other groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees also use shields, but Hamas dominates.
Diplomatically, Hamas seeks to tarnish Israel, end Palestinian rifts, and sustain resistance. Human shields earn global points, weakening Israel's justifications and pressuring via UN and NGOs. Economically, civilians dig tunnels for revenue, risking accidents and attacks. Militarily, operations from populated areas offset IDF superiority, accepting casualties for propaganda.
Legally, it exploits Israel's law commitment for lawfare. Despite geopolitical distress—like Egypt tensions and Qatar crisis—Hamas prepares for conflict, likely continuing shields amid Hezbollah ties.
Israel counters with warnings like "roof knocking" and precision strikes, but struggles narratively. Governments must document, message across channels, and target civilians to refuse shielding. Coherent activities undermine adversaries.
This tactic challenges ethics and law in asymmetric wars, where weaker parties offset strength via civilians.
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