Primary Country (Mandatory)

United States

Other Country (Optional)

Set News Language for United States

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language[s] (Optional)
No other language available

Set News Language for World

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language(s) (Optional)

Set News Source for United States

Primary Source (Mandatory)
CNN
Other Source[s] (Optional)

Set News Source for World

Primary Source (Mandatory)
AajTak
Other Source(s) (Optional)
  • Countries
    • India
    • United States
    • Qatar
    • Germany
    • China
    • Canada
    • World
  • Categories
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Special
    • All Categories
  • Available Languages for United States
    • English
  • All Languages
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Arabic
    • German
    • Chinese
    • French
  • Sources
    • India
      • AajTak
      • NDTV India
      • The Hindu
      • India Today
      • Zee News
      • NDTV
      • BBC
      • The Wire
      • News18
      • News 24
      • The Quint
      • ABP News
      • Zee News
      • News 24
    • United States
      • CNN
      • Fox News
      • Al Jazeera
      • CBSN
      • NY Post
      • Voice of America
      • The New York Times
      • HuffPost
      • ABC News
      • Newsy
    • Qatar
      • Al Jazeera
      • Al Arab
      • The Peninsula
      • Gulf Times
      • Al Sharq
      • Qatar Tribune
      • Al Raya
      • Lusail
    • Germany
      • DW
      • ZDF
      • ProSieben
      • RTL
      • n-tv
      • Die Welt
      • Süddeutsche Zeitung
      • Frankfurter Rundschau
    • China
      • China Daily
      • BBC
      • The New York Times
      • Voice of America
      • Beijing Daily
      • The Epoch Times
      • Ta Kung Pao
      • Xinmin Evening News
    • Canada
      • CBC
      • Radio-Canada
      • CTV
      • TVA Nouvelles
      • Le Journal de Montréal
      • Global News
      • BNN Bloomberg
      • Métro
MoreBack to News Headlines
In the line of fire: In Gaza, anyone can wind up a 'human shield'

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

CBC
Sunday, February 4, 2024 9:54 AM GMT

Of all the phrases that get tossed about in fierce arguments over the current war in Gaza, one of the most common might be "human shield."

In both the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, and Israel's attacks on Gaza in the four months since then, civilians accounted for at least two-thirds of the victims.

Israel has argued that Hamas deliberately uses the civilian population of the Gaza Strip both to shield its fighters and to attempt to discredit Israel's legitimate efforts to defend itself — by portraying Israel as a callous killer of civilians in the court of public opinion, and in the Court of International Justice.

Critics of Israel's campaign have said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) use the term as a catch-all excuse for killing thousands of civilians who were merely in proximity to Hamas fighters and infrastructure in a crowded territory where there is nowhere else for them to go. They also accuse Israel of hypocrisy and point to some of its army's own practices as classic examples of human shield use.

International law has only so much to say on the subject, and the legal concept of the human shield only dates back to 1977, when Protocol 1 was added to the Geneva Convention: "The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede military operations."

In short, said international law professor Neve Gordon, "protected people — civilians — cannot be used to shield a legitimate military target. And if they are used, then it does not render the target immune from attack. I can still attack the target even if it is protected by human shields."

But the presence of "human shields" doesn't free an attacking army from the rule of proportionality — which states that the cost in civilian lives must be justified by the importance of the military objective. Even if one side cynically places civilians between itself and an enemy, that does not give the other side carte blanche to kill everybody.

Gordon, an Israeli-born professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London, is co-author of the book "Human shields: A History of People in the Line of Fire."

He said there have always been both voluntary and involuntary human shields. American Rachel Corrie — a volunteer with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement — or Greenpeace activists who used their own bodies to prevent nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific are examples of people who exposed themselves willingly.

Other human shields, Gordon said, are essentially hostages — "Me as a soldier taking a civilian, putting the civilian in front of me so that the other warring party won't try to kill me, or using the civilian to open a bag in a house to make sure it's not booby-trapped."

"Now, what we claim is that there is a third kind of human shield," Gordon told CBC News. "That is the human shield that does not volunteer and is not coerced, but just by being where they are, they become human shields. Or more precisely, I would say they're framed as human shields.

"In the Gaza Strip, for example, if the Hamas tunnels are a legitimate military target, and the tunnels span 700 kilometres, then they are under the whole Gaza Strip. So anyone above them becomes a human shield. And so you are casting or framing the whole civilian population almost as human shields.

"Now why is that important? Because according to international law, once someone is a 'human shield,' the law doesn't require you to protect them as much as you would protect a civilian … And when you kill them, the party to blame is not you that killed them, but the party that used them.

"That's the logic."

Read full story on CBC
Share this story on:-
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running GamePlay Run 3, the ultimate space tunnel running game with 300+ challenging levels!Adv.
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing GameTraffic Jam 3D is a game where you’ll be driving through heavy traffic.Adv.
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic GamePlay the classic 1984 light gun shooter game Duck Hunt on your browser.Adv.
More Related News
Jasper to commemorate 1 year since wildfire decimated townsite

Nancy Addison is still waiting for a house to come home to, one year after a wildfire raged through Jasper, Alta.

How app upgrades are helping Toronto police do more bail compliance checks

There's an app for that — even to help monitor people on bail in Ontario.

Fire at Wellington waste facility extinguished before it could worsen

A fire at a waste facility in Wellington, P.E.I., on Saturday could have been much worse than it turned out to be.

Albertans drinking way less booze than they used to, lead the country in cannabis sales

It's been well documented by now that Canadians are drinking less than they used to, but no other province has seen a greater reduction than Alberta.

Premiers, prime minister to meet ahead of U.S.-Canada trade deadline

Canada's premiers are kicking off a three-day summit in Ontario's cottage country at a time of heightened anxiety over tariffs and trade with Canada's closest trading partner, the United States. 

U.S. commerce secretary dismisses question that free trade with Canada is dead

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is dismissing the question of whether U.S. free trade with Canada is dead, calling the notion "silly" and saying a substantial amount of Canadian goods enter the U.S. tariff-free under the current North American free trade deal.

This grizzly followed a Calgary couple along a popular trail until they finally roared at it

Howard Mah and Lori Arnason had never seen a wild grizzly until Saturday.

Canadian girl, 9, reported missing by father found dead in N.Y., state police say

Police in New York state say they have found a nine-year-old Canadian girl who was reported missing in northeastern New York dead. 

Teen, 14, arrested in fatal stabbing of woman in North York parking lot: police

A 14-year-old has been arrested in the fatal stabbing of a woman in a North York parking lot last Thursday, Toronto police say. 

Following in his dad's footsteps, Kamloops baseball player selected in MLB draft

It's been a big week for Tyrelle Chadwick. 

This Tlingit artist has taught 2,000 people to make bentwood boxes. She plans to keep going

Joanne Williams estimates she's taught 2,000 people how to make bentwood boxes.

Family of Montreal woman detained by ICE for over 3 months living a 'nightmare'

Paula Callejas, a Montreal native, was trying to expand her swimsuit business in Florida after taking time off to take care of her ailing father in Canada before his death.

Cars keep getting more expensive but Albertans are still buying plenty — before tariffs really bite

Across Alberta, more people are buying new vehicles even as prices have been shooting up.

Parking Slot | Free Parking GamePlay Parking Slot, the best online 3D car driving and parking game.Adv.
Slope Ball Run - Play OnlineSlope Game takes you on an exciting journey of a ball on special paths.Adv.
New Metrolinx CEO eligible for potential 6-figure bonus

Metrolinx's new CEO will make less than his controversial predecessor, but could be eligible for an annual performance bonus of more than six figures.

Permit revoked for MAGA musician's concert at Parks Canada historic site

Parks Canada says a U.S. singer and rising star in the MAGA movement will not perform at a national historic site near Halifax after the federal agency revoked the organizer's permit.

Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę celebrates self-government agreement with events this week in Norman Wells, N.W.T.

The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę in Norman Wells, N.W.T., is this week celebrating the ratification of a self-government agreement, with music, games and community gatherings.

Why Danielle Smith has eased off the 'Kill Bill C-69' language in the Carney era

Premier Danielle Smith wasn't doing anything politically revolutionary when she demanded the repeal of Ottawa's environmental assessments act during the federal election campaign. Then she demanded it again, many times, when the Conservatives who promised to do so lost and the Mark Carney Liberals won.

Hoping to book an affordable Canadian vacation this summer? Sorry and good luck

Whether you're camping under the stars, jumping off the dock at a lakeside cottage, strolling the coast or exploring a new city, there's arguably nothing better than a summer vacation in Canada.

Changes coming to the way IWMC manages western P.E.I. landfill following fire

P.E.I.'s Island Waste Management Corporation is making some changes to how it manages its Wellington landfill.

Toronto musicians pay tribute to Black Sabbath frontman and 'lord of metal' Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne, legendary frontman of the rock band Black Sabbath, "opened doors" for people who wanted to play heavy metal, Toronto musicians said following news of his death.

Ford praises Carney after late-night fireside chats at Muskoka cottage

It may not be the sunny ways government, but some premiers certainly seem to be feeling sunny about the future.

'Devon has a firearm': Woman's statement for restraining order details fear of ex, now accused of her murder

The ex-boyfriend of a Calgary woman fatally shot in a parking garage over the weekend has been charged with her murder, 53 days after the victim told a judge that she lived in fear after months of being stalked and harassed.

Carney to visit his hometown of Fort Smith, N.W.T., on Wednesday

Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit his hometown of Fort Smith, N.W.T., on Wednesday — his first official visit to the territory since he was elected.

Ottawa's major projects law won't affect the N.W.T. much, premier says

N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson says he expects Bill C-5, passed into law last month as the federal Building Canada Act, to have a limited effect in the territory.

Republican senator says Trump's 51st state rhetoric not 'constructive' during Ottawa visit

A U.S. Republican senator says she doesn't think President Donald Trump's past comments about making Canada the 51st state are helpful as the two countries are locked in negotiations to reach some sort of trade agreement.

© 2008 - 2025 Webjosh  |  News Archive  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us