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Israeli troopers and former detainees inform AP Israel’s use of human shields in Gaza is widespread
A number of Palestinians and Israeli troopers have instructed the Related Press (AP) that troops are systematically forcing Palestinians to behave as human shields in Gaza, sending them into buildings and tunnels to test for bombs and gunmen. They instructed the AP that the apply has change into ubiquitous over 19 months of warfare.
The AP spoke with seven Palestinians who described getting used as shields in Gaza and the occupied West Financial institution and with two members of Israel’s army who mentioned they engaged within the apply, which is prohibited by worldwide legislation.
In response to those allegations, Israel’s army says it strictly prohibits utilizing civilians as shields – a apply it has lengthy accused Hamas of utilizing in Gaza. Israeli officers blame the militants for the civilian dying toll in its offensive that has killed tens of hundreds of Palestinians.
In a press release to the AP, the army mentioned it additionally bans in any other case coercing civilians to take part in operations, and “all such orders are routinely emphasised to the forces.”
The army mentioned it’s investigating a number of instances alleging that Palestinians had been concerned in missions, however wouldn’t present the AP with particulars. The information company mentioned that the Israeli army didn’t reply questions concerning the attain of the apply or any orders from commanding officers.
Rights teams say Israel has used Palestinians as shields in Gaza and the West Financial institution for many years. The supreme court docket outlawed the apply in 2005, however the teams continued to doc violations, studies the AP.
Consultants say this warfare is the primary time in a long time the apply – and the controversy round it – has been so widespread.
Extra on this story in a second, however first, listed below are another key updates:
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The Israeli military reported that 83 vehicles carrying humanitarian assist entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing on Friday, after safety inspections. The help included meals, medical tools and medicines.
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The UN has referred to as for extra assist in Gaza to satisfy the territory’s “huge wants”. In its newest humanitarian replace, the UN Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) mentioned it “careworn as soon as once more that the small quantities of provides being allowed into the Gaza Strip are nowhere close to sufficient to roll again the acute deprivation that Gaza’s inhabitants is going through”.
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UN secretary basic António Guterres mentioned on Friday that Palestinians had been enduring “the cruellest part” of the warfare in Gaza, the place greater than a dozen meals vehicles had been looted after the partial easing of a prolonged Israeli blockade.
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Gaza’s civil defence company mentioned Israeli strikes killed at the least six individuals on Saturday throughout the Palestinian territory, the place Israel has ramped up its army offensive in current days. “Our groups have recovered at the least six lifeless,” civil defence company spokesperson Mahmud Bassal instructed Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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Greater than 40 main Jewish organisations issued a joint set of pressing requests from the US authorities after Wednesday’s lethal taking pictures outdoors Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum, Haaertz reported.
Key occasions
5 al-Qaida members have been killed in a strike blamed on the United States in southern Yemen, two Yemeni safety sources instructed Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday.
“Residents of the world knowledgeable us of the US strike … 5 al-Qaida members had been eradicated,” mentioned a safety supply in Abyan province, which borders the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised authorities in Aden.
“The US strike on Friday night north of Khabar al-Maraqsha killed 5,” a second supply instructed AFP, referring to a mountainous space recognized for use by al-Qaida.
The second safety supply added that, although the names of these killed within the strike weren’t recognized, it was believed one among al-Qaida’s native leaders was among the many lifeless.
Gaza civil defence says 15 killed in Israeli strikes
Gaza’s civil defence company mentioned that Israeli strikes killed at the least 15 individuals on Saturday throughout the Palestinian territory.
Civil defence company spokesperson Mahmud Bassal instructed Agence France-Presse (AFP) the lifeless included a pair who had been killed with their two younger youngsters in a pre-dawn strike on a home within the Amal quarter of the southern metropolis of Khan Younis.
To the west of the town, at the least 5 individuals had been killed by a drone strike on a crowd of folks that had gathered to attend for assist vehicles, he mentioned.
At Khan Younis’s Nasser hospital, tearful mourners gathered round white-shrouded our bodies outdoors, studies AFP.
“Instantly, a missile from an F-16 destroyed your entire home, and all of them had been civilians – my sister, her husband and their youngsters,” Wissam Al-Madhoun instructed the information company. “We discovered them mendacity on the street. What did this little one do to [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu?”
The Israeli army mentioned it was unable to touch upon particular person strikes with out their “exact geographical coordinates”, studies the AFP.
In a press release, the army mentioned that over the previous day the air pressure had struck greater than 100 targets throughout the territory, together with members of “terrorist organisations within the Gaza Strip, army buildings, underground routes and extra terrorist infrastructure”.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was holding talks with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul on Saturday, broadcaster CNN Turk and state media mentioned, based on Reuters.
State broadcaster TRT Haber printed photographs of al-Sharaa shaking fingers in Erdoğan’s workplaces on the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul. No additional particulars had been instantly obtainable.
The African Union (AU) referred to as for a everlasting ceasefire in Libya on Saturday after lethal clashes within the capital earlier this month and demonstrations demanding the prime minister’s resignation, studies Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Regardless of an absence of a proper ceasefire, the clashes principally ended final week, with the Libya defence ministry saying this week that efforts in the direction of a truce had been “ongoing”.
On Saturday, the AU’s peace and safety council condemned the current violence, calling for an “unconditional and everlasting ceasefire”.
In a press release on X, the council urged “inclusive, Libyan-led reconciliation”, including that it “appeals for no exterior interference”.
UN requires extra assist to satisfy ‘huge wants’ in Gaza
In its newest humanitarian replace on Friday, the UN Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) referred to as for extra assist in Gaza to satisfy the “huge wants” of the territory.
Ocha mentioned “the small quantities of provides being allowed into the Gaza Strip are nowhere close to sufficient to roll again the acute deprivation that Gaza’s inhabitants is going through”.
It additionally pointed to a press release by the World Well being Group (WHO) who warned on Thursday that the intensification of hostilities had “introduced Gaza’s already weakened well being system to a breaking level”.
Ocha mentioned the WHO’s warning adopted an assault on al-Awda hospital, in northern Gaza, the place affected person triage tents – together with one offered by WHO – caught fireplace. All medical provides within the warehouse had been burnt and automobiles within the basement had been left destroyed, it added.
It listed 4 main hospitals – Kamal Adwan, Indonesia, Hamad and European Gaza – as having needed to droop medical providers due to hostilities, assaults or displacement orders of their areas.
Egypt has flown 71 nationals residence from the Libyan capital Tripoli after lethal clashes between rival militias within the metropolis earlier this month, the overseas ministry mentioned.
Friday’s particular flight by flag service EgyptAir “enabled the repatriation of 71 Egyptian residents who had expressed a want to return residence”, the ministry mentioned, studies Agence France-Presse (AFP).
From 12 Might to fifteen, the Libyan capital noticed preventing between an armed group aligned with the Tripoli-based authorities and factions it has sought to dismantle. The clashes, which noticed artillery exchanges within the metropolis centre, killed at the least eight individuals, based on the United Nations.
Though relative calm has since returned to the town, the scenario stays extremely risky as calls develop for the resignation of prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah.
Turkey evacuated 82 of its nationals from Tripoli on the same repatriation flight final week, studies AFP.
The United Nations secretary basic mentioned on Friday that Palestinians had been enduring “the cruelest part” of the warfare in Gaza, the place greater than a dozen meals vehicles had been looted after the partial easing of a prolonged Israeli blockade.
Gaza civil defence company official Mohammed al-Mughayyir instructed Agence France-Presse (AFP) at the least 71 individuals had been killed, whereas “dozens of accidents, and numerous lacking individuals beneath the rubble have been reported because of Israeli airstrikes” on Friday.
The UN’s António Guterres mentioned “Palestinians in Gaza are enduring what stands out as the cruelest part of this merciless battle”, including that Israel “should agree to permit and facilitate” humanitarian deliveries.
In line with AFP, Guterres famous that of the practically 400 vehicles cleared to enter Gaza in current days, solely 115 had been capable of be collected. He added in a press release.
In any case, all the help authorised till now quantities to a teaspoon of assist when a flood of help is required.
“In the meantime, the Israeli army offensive is intensifying with atrocious ranges of dying and destruction,” he mentioned.
The World Meals Programme mentioned Friday that 15 of its “vehicles had been looted late final night time in southern Gaza, whereas en path to WFP-supported bakeries”.
“Starvation, desperation, and nervousness over whether or not extra meals assist is coming, is contributing to rising insecurity,” the UN physique mentioned in a press release, calling on Israeli authorities “to get far better volumes of meals help into Gaza sooner”.
Listed below are a few of the newest photos coming in through the newswires:
Syria on Saturday hailed the Trump administration’s lifting of US sanctions, as Washington hopes to open a brand new chapter in its relations with Damascus, studies Agence France-Presse (AFP).
US president Donald Trump shocked many together with his announcement of the brand new coverage on a Gulf tour earlier this month, throughout which he shook fingers with Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Trump mentioned he wished to present the war-torn nation’s new rulers “an opportunity at greatness” after their overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.
“The Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the choice from the American authorities to elevate the sanctions imposed on Syria and its individuals for lengthy years,” a overseas ministry assertion mentioned, based on AFP.
It described the transfer as “a constructive step in the appropriate path to scale back humanitarian and financial struggles within the nation”.
Israeli armed forces carried out an airstrike in town of Toul in southern Lebanon, killing one particular person and injuring one other.
The strikes started on Thursday afternoon and the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for residents of Toul, simply outdoors the town of Nabatieh, earlier than finishing up an airstrike there.

Aletha Adu
UK ministers are beneath strain from inside and outdoors Labour to recognise Palestinian statehood at a UN convention subsequent month, with celebration grandees arguing it might bolster prospects for peace and reveal ethical management amid escalating tensions.
Alf Dubs, the veteran Labour peer and Holocaust survivor, mentioned the symbolic recognition of a Palestinian state would supply Palestinians “the self-respect they’d have if they’d a correct state,” and supply them a stronger footing in any future peace negotiations.
“Even when it doesn’t result in something instantly, it might nonetheless give Palestinians a greater standing,” Lord Dubs mentioned. “Symbols matter.”
The previous cupboard minister Peter Hain echoed the decision, warning that “delaying recognition till negotiations are concluded merely permits Israel’s unlawful occupation to change into everlasting”. Lord Hain argued that formal recognition needs to be “a catalyst, not a consequence” of peace talks.
On the first preparatory assembly in New York earlier than a UN convention on a two state answer resulting from be held between 17 and 20 June, Saudi Arabia urged international locations to recognise Palestine as a state, saying that “recognition needs to be seen as a precondition for peace, and never its product”.
The convention is seen as a possible second when states equivalent to France and the UK which have but to recognise Palestine take what can be a momentous diplomatic step.
Right here is extra on the report by the Related Press (AP) of Israeli troopers being accused of the widespread use of human shields in Gaza:
The 2 Israeli troopers who spoke to the AP – and a 3rd who offered testimony to Israeli non-governmental organisation Breaking the Silence – mentioned commanders had been conscious of using human shields and tolerated it, with some giving orders to take action. Some mentioned it was known as the “mosquito protocol” and that Palestinians had been additionally known as “wasps” and different dehumanising phrases.
The troopers mentioned they first grew to become conscious human shields had been getting used shortly after 7 October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, and that it grew to become widespread by the center of 2024. Orders to “deliver a mosquito” typically got here through radio, they mentioned – shorthand everybody understood. Troopers acted on commanding officers’ orders, based on the officer who spoke to the AP.
He mentioned that by the tip of his 9 months in Gaza, each infantry unit used a Palestinian to clear homes earlier than coming into. “As soon as this concept was initiated, it caught on like fireplace in a discipline,” the 26-year-old mentioned. “Folks noticed how efficient and simple it was.”
He described a 2024 planning assembly the place a brigade commander offered to the division commander a slide studying “get a mosquito” and a suggestion they may “simply catch one off the streets”.
The officer wrote two incident studies to the brigade commander detailing using human shields, studies that will have been escalated to the division chief, he mentioned. The Israeli army mentioned it had no remark when requested whether or not it acquired them.
One report documented the unintentional killing of a Palestinian, he mentioned – troops didn’t understand one other unit was utilizing him as a defend and shot him as he ran right into a home. The officer beneficial the Palestinians be wearing military garments to keep away from misidentification.
He mentioned he knew of at the least one different Palestinian who died whereas used as a defend – he handed out in a tunnel.
In a press release to the AP, the army mentioned it additionally bans in any other case coercing civilians to take part in operations, and “all such orders are routinely emphasised to the forces.” The army mentioned it’s investigating a number of instances alleging that Palestinians had been concerned in missions, however wouldn’t present particulars.
Gaza civil defence says six killed in Israeli strikes
Gaza’s civil defence company mentioned Israeli strikes killed at the least six individuals on Saturday throughout the Palestinian territory, the place Israel has ramped up its army offensive in current days.
“Our groups have recovered at the least six lifeless,” civil defence company spokesperson Mahmud Bassal instructed Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He mentioned a pair had been killed with their two younger youngsters in a pre-dawn strike on a home within the Amal quarter of the southern metropolis of Khan Younis. One other two individuals had been killed in a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp within the centre of the territory, he mentioned.
The Israeli army mentioned it was unable to touch upon particular person strikes with out their “exact geographical coordinates”.
Israeli troopers and former detainees inform AP Israel’s use of human shields in Gaza is widespread
A number of Palestinians and Israeli troopers have instructed the Related Press (AP) that troops are systematically forcing Palestinians to behave as human shields in Gaza, sending them into buildings and tunnels to test for bombs and gunmen. They instructed the AP that the apply has change into ubiquitous over 19 months of warfare.
The AP spoke with seven Palestinians who described getting used as shields in Gaza and the occupied West Financial institution and with two members of Israel’s army who mentioned they engaged within the apply, which is prohibited by worldwide legislation.
In response to those allegations, Israel’s army says it strictly prohibits utilizing civilians as shields – a apply it has lengthy accused Hamas of utilizing in Gaza. Israeli officers blame the militants for the civilian dying toll in its offensive that has killed tens of hundreds of Palestinians.
In a press release to the AP, the army mentioned it additionally bans in any other case coercing civilians to take part in operations, and “all such orders are routinely emphasised to the forces.”
The army mentioned it’s investigating a number of instances alleging that Palestinians had been concerned in missions, however wouldn’t present the AP with particulars. The information company mentioned that the Israeli army didn’t reply questions concerning the attain of the apply or any orders from commanding officers.
Rights teams say Israel has used Palestinians as shields in Gaza and the West Financial institution for many years. The supreme court docket outlawed the apply in 2005, however the teams continued to doc violations, studies the AP.
Consultants say this warfare is the primary time in a long time the apply – and the controversy round it – has been so widespread.
Extra on this story in a second, however first, listed below are another key updates:
-
The Israeli military reported that 83 vehicles carrying humanitarian assist entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing on Friday, after safety inspections. The help included meals, medical tools and medicines.
-
The UN has referred to as for extra assist in Gaza to satisfy the territory’s “huge wants”. In its newest humanitarian replace, the UN Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) mentioned it “careworn as soon as once more that the small quantities of provides being allowed into the Gaza Strip are nowhere close to sufficient to roll again the acute deprivation that Gaza’s inhabitants is going through”.
-
UN secretary basic António Guterres mentioned on Friday that Palestinians had been enduring “the cruellest part” of the warfare in Gaza, the place greater than a dozen meals vehicles had been looted after the partial easing of a prolonged Israeli blockade.
-
Gaza’s civil defence company mentioned Israeli strikes killed at the least six individuals on Saturday throughout the Palestinian territory, the place Israel has ramped up its army offensive in current days. “Our groups have recovered at the least six lifeless,” civil defence company spokesperson Mahmud Bassal instructed Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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Greater than 40 main Jewish organisations issued a joint set of pressing requests from the US authorities after Wednesday’s lethal taking pictures outdoors Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum, Haaertz reported.