In the line of fire: In Gaza, anyone can wind up a ‘human shield’

Cellphone store owner Baha Abu Ras is seen here in cellphone footage being used as a human shield by Israeli soldiers in the town of Dura, in the West Bank, on January 15. Abu Ras was later released unharmed, although two Palestinians were shot dead in the Israeli raid.

The Gaza War has seen Israel claim that the high death toll among civilians is due to Hamas’s use of “human shields.” But that term has never been properly defined in the laws of armed conflict. When is a human a ‘human shield’? And does that mean they can be killed without consequence?

CBC | World News

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