US Intelligence Reveals Israeli Officials Discussed Using Palestinians as Human Shields in Gaza Tunnels

International law explicitly prohibits utilizing civilians as shields during any military operations.

New York:

According to two former US officials familiar with the matter, US intelligence agencies gathered information last year revealing discussions among Israeli officials about their soldiers sending Palestinians into Gaza tunnels suspected of containing explosives.

This intelligence was subsequently shared with the White House and analyzed by the intelligence community during the final weeks of former President Joe Biden's administration.

The use of civilians as shields in military activity represents a clear violation of international law.

Officials within the Biden administration had previously expressed concerns regarding media reports suggesting Israeli soldiers were using Palestinians as potential human shields in Gaza. The fact that Washington collected its own evidence on this matter has not been publicly disclosed until now.

The US intelligence gathered toward the end of 2024 prompted serious questions within both the White House and intelligence community regarding how extensively this tactic was being employed and whether Israeli soldiers were acting under directives from military leadership.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of this national security information, the officials did not specify whether the Palestinians mentioned in the intelligence were prisoners or civilians.

Reuters could not determine if the Biden administration discussed this intelligence with Israeli government officials.

Former Biden White House officials did not respond when asked for comment. Similarly, the CIA provided no response when approached for comment.

In an official statement, the Israel Defense Forces declared that it "prohibits the use of civilians as human shields or coercing them in any way to participate in military operations." The statement added that the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division is investigating "suspicions involving Palestinians in military missions."

When questioned about whether this intelligence had been discussed with the US, the Israeli government offered no response.

Media reports have also suggested that Hamas has employed civilians as human shields, specifically by positioning militants within civilian structures such as hospitals. Hamas has consistently denied these accusations.

According to Israeli tallies, Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages during their October 7, 2023 attacks. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has resulted in nearly 69,000 Palestinian deaths, according to health officials in Gaza.

This intelligence regarding the IDF's alleged use of civilians as human shields was one of several pieces of information circulating within the US government during the final period of Biden's administration. It emerged as the intelligence community was increasingly analyzing new information streams revealing internal Israeli deliberations about military conduct in Gaza.

Reuters recently reported that during approximately the same timeframe, the Biden administration had also obtained intelligence indicating Israeli lawyers had warned of evidence potentially supporting war crimes charges against Israel for its military operations in Gaza.

The Israeli government did not respond to requests for comment regarding that report.

The former US officials stated that this new intelligence from inside Israel raised significant concerns among top officials who believed the information supported allegations from within the US government that Israel was committing war crimes. If Israel were found guilty of such crimes, the US could potentially be held liable for supplying weapons to the IDF. Such a finding would likely also compel the US to cease intelligence sharing with Israel.

However, legal experts from various US agencies determined during the final weeks of the Biden administration that the available evidence did not conclusively demonstrate that Israel had committed war crimes, allowing the US to continue providing weapons and intelligence support to Israel.

Some former US officials maintained that the broad intelligence received late in Biden's term described only isolated incidents in Gaza and did not represent Israel's overarching military practices or policies.