8 March 07: Israeli soldiers use Palestinian minors and an adult as human shields in the operation in Nablus

Testimonies taken by B'Tselem reveal that during the Israeli army's recent operation in Nablus , soldiers used two Palestinian children (a fifteen-year-old boy and an eleven year-old girl) and a twenty-four-year old man as human shields. The use of human shields constitutes a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law and is also explicitly and clearly prohibited by Israeli military orders. B'Tselem wrote to the Judge Advocate General and demanded that he immediately order a Military Police investigation into these incidents.

According to the testimonies, on the morning of February 25 soldiers took 15-year old 'Amid 'Omeira to accompany them as they searched three nearby houses. On one occasion, according to 'Amid's testimony, a soldier shot several times into a room they searched.

At the same time, soldiers took 'Amid's cousin, Samah 'Omeira, 24, and used him as a human shield in a similar manner. Part of this incident was recorded by AP television cameras and broadcast both on Israeli television and abroad. 'Omeira was forced to enter every room in his house, while soldiers followed him. Afterwards a soldier would shoot a round of bullets into each room.

In another incident, which took place on the morning of February 28, soldiers took control of another house and interrogated the family about the location of armed Palestinians who fired at soldiers in the area. In the evening, soldiers forced eleven-year old Jihan Dadush to lead them to an adjacent house. The soldiers forced the girl to open the door of the house and enter in front of the soldiers. In her testimony to B'Tselem, the girl described her feelings after the soldiers left: "I was shaking with fear. I was afraid they would kill me or put me in jail. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep… I am afraid that the soldiers will come back and take me."

The picture that emerges from the testimonies, and particularly the shooting into the rooms described by 'Amid and Samach 'Omeira, indicate that the soldiers feared the houses hid armed militants or that explosives had been planted in them. The tasks the two minors and the adult were forced to conduct, therefore, included a clear danger and it appears that the soldiers were aware of this.