Israeli military uses injured Palestinian as human shield

WEST BANK: Israel committed another war crime in the occupied West Bank by tying an injured Palestinian to the front of a military jeep and using him as a human shield.

A video of the incident in Jenin, a city in the occupied West Bank, where Israel tied an injured Palestinian to a military jeep as a human shield, went viral online. The incident comes amid the ongoing Israeli invasion of Rafah and broader military operations and strikes in Gaza.

Read more: Israel pounds Gaza, killing dozens, as fighting rages

Despite a ceasefire proposed and backed by United States President Joe Biden, negotiations are at an impasse. Hamas insists on the complete removal of Israeli presence from occupied Palestinian territories, a demand rejected by the Israeli government.

Since the beginning of the Israeli invasion of Gaza in October last year, more than 38,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, including 15,000 children.

Israel has continued its relentless assault on the Gaza Strip since October, with recent clashes focusing primarily on Rafah.

On Saturday alone, Israeli attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 43 Palestinians across Gaza. According to Reuters, Israeli airstrikes targeted houses in the Al-Shati and Al-Tuffah neighbourhoods.

Israel later claimed in an official statement to have aimed at “Hamas military infrastructure sites,” despite evidence suggesting otherwise.

Read more: Latest Israeli strikes kill at least 42 in Gaza City

Similarly, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that its office in Gaza was shelled, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 Palestinians and others seeking shelter at the compound.

While the Red Cross did not attribute the firing of “heavy calibre projectiles” to any specific party, it stated online that the shelling “damaged the structure of the ICRC office”.

The ICRC office is situated among hundreds of displaced people living in tents. Following the shelling, 22 bodies and 45 wounded Palestinians were transported to a nearby Red Cross field hospital.