Human shield is a military and political term describing the presence of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets. It may also be used to describe the use of civilians to literally shield combatants during attacks, by forcing the civilians to march in front of the soldiers during human wave attacks. Using this technique increases the civilian casualty rate and is illegal in any nation that is party to the Fourth Geneva Convention. This article is about the military tactic. ... The Geneva Conventions consist of treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland that set the standards for international law for humanitarian concerns. ...

Tactic in war

The term human shield can also be used collectively where the shield is not an individual but the whole population. In this case, one party in a conflict intentionally positions its military assets amongst a civilian population or close to civilian facilities such as hospitals or schools in the hope that the other party will be reluctant to attack them. Furthermore, if the other party attacks these targets anyway, the resulting civilian casualties have propaganda value.

International law considers the use of human shields to protect targets a war crime. The Fourth Geneva Convention forbids the use of any civilian as a shield: "The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations." (Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, August 12, 1949, 6 U.S.T. 3516, 75 U.N.T.S. 287, art. 28). This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... In the context of war, a war crime is a punishable offense under International Law, for violations of the laws of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Fourth Geneva Convention The Fourth Geneva Convention (GCIV) relates to the protection of civilians during times of war in the hands of an enemy and under any occupation by a foreign power. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Iraq

One of the most famous uses of human shields occurred in Iraq in 1990, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that precipitated the first Gulf War. Saddam Hussein's government detained hundreds of citizens of Western countries who were in Iraq for use as human shields in an attempt to deter nations from participating in military operations against the country. A number of these hostages were filmed meeting Saddam, and kept with him to deter any targeted attacks, whilst others were held in or near military and industrial targets. Whilst the UN debated its response to the invasion of Kuwait, several international statesmen and peace campaigners visited Iraq to try to secure the release of the human shields, many returning with around 10 or 12 each time. David Dring, a 16 year old boy from King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth was captured and held as a human shield, he returned to the UK unharmed. Combatants Republic of Iraq State of Kuwait Commanders Ali Hassan al-Majid N/A Strength 100,000[1] 16,000[2] Casualties 37+ aircraft (est. ... See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... The term Western world, the West or the Occident (Latin occidens -sunset, -west, as distinct from the Orient) [1] can have multiple meanings dependent on its context (e. ... A hostage is an entity which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act or refrain from acting in a particular way. ... King Edward VI Grammar School (often shortened to KEVIGS or KEVIS) is one of many Grammar schools in the United Kingdom. ...

Israel and Gaza

Amnesty International^[1] and Human Rights Watch^[2] have reported that the Israel Defense Forces used Palestinian civilians as human shields during the 2002 Battle of Jenin. The Israeli human-rights group B'Tselem reported that "for a long period of time following the outbreak of the second intifada, particularly during Operation Defensive Shield, in April 2002, the IDF systematically used Palestinian civilians as human shields, forcing them to carry out military actions which threatened their lives".^[3] The practice was outlawed by the Supreme Court of Israel in 2005 but human rights groups claim the IDF continues to use it, although the number of instances reportedly has dropped sharply.^[3][4] Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amnesty international Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization which defines its mission as to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience... Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a United States-based international non-government organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. ... Emblem of the IDF The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ... For other uses of Palestinian, see Definitions of Palestine and Palestinian. ... Combatants  Israel IDF Fatah (Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Tanzim) Hamas Islamic Jihad Commanders Yedidia Yehuda [1] Mahmoud Tawallbe† Strength 1,000 200-250 Casualties 23 soldiers killed 52 killed (38 armed men, 14 civilians according to IDF; 30 militants, 22 civilians according to HRW) 685 persons arrested (mostly released) The... BTselem (Hebrew: , in the image of, as in Genesis 1:27) is an Israeli non-governmental organization (NGO) that describes itself as The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. ... Combatants  Israel (Israel Defense Forces) Fatah (Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades & Tanzim) Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Palestinian security forces Commanders Aluf Itzhak Eitan (Central commander) Strength Golani Brigade, Nahal Brigade, Paratroopers Brigade, 5th Reserve Infantry Brigade, 408th Reserve Infantry Brigade, Jerusalem Brigade(reserve), Shayetet 13, Armor and Engineering forces. ... The Supreme Court (Hebrew: בית המשפט העליון, Beit Hamishpat Haelyon ) is at the head of the court system in the State of Israel. ...

In November 2006, Palestinian women served as human shields to allow the escape of Hamas gunmen from Israeli forces in Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip. The armed Palestinians had barricaded themselves in a mosque, which was surrounded by Israeli troops and tanks. According to a Hamas spokeman, a crowd of women gathered outside the mosque in response to an appeal on the local radio station for women to protect the Hamas fighters. The Palestinian gunmen escaped by dressing in women's clothes and hiding in the large group.^[5] Hamas (Arabic: ; acronym: Arabic: , or Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya or Islamic Resistance Movement,[1]) is a Palestinian Sunni Muslim militant organization. ... Beit Hanoun (Arabic: ‎) is a town of 35,000 which is administered by the Palestinian Authority like the rest of the Gaza Strip. ... The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ...

That same month, the Israeli Air Force warned Mohammed Weil Baroud, a Palestinian leader said to be responsible for firing Qassam rockets at Israel, to evacuate his home in Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip in advance of an airstrike. Instead, hundreds of Palestinians, including many women and children, gathered outside Baroud's house. Israel suspended the airstrike out of fear that the human shields would be killed or injured. In response to Israel's reaction, another Palestinian leader said: "We have won. From now on we will form human chains around every house that is threatened with demolition."^[6] The Israeli Air Force (IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל, Zroa HaAvir VeHaḤalal, Air and Space Division, commonly known as חיל האוויר Hel HaAvir) is the air force of the Israel Defense Forces. ... The remnants of an exploded Qassam rocket that was fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel. ... Beit Lahia (Arabic: ) is a town under Palestinian Authority of about 40,000 people in the northern Gaza Strip. ... Airstrike in Kosovo War An airstrike is a military strike by air forces on either a suspected or a confirmed enemy ground position, which depending on the selected tactics may or may not be followed up by artillery, armor, or infantry units. ...

In February 2007, Associated Press Television News released footage of an incident involving Sameh Amira, a 24-year-old Palestinian. The video appears to show the West Bank resident serving as a human shield for a group of Israeli soldiers.^[4][7] The video can be seen on the AP website. The Israeli Army launched a criminal investigation into the incident.^[4] Associated Press Television News, known as either Associated Press TV News or APTN, is a global video news agency. ...

Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces^{[citation needed]} and Australian journalist Chris Link documented and photographed incidents during the 2006 Lebanon War in which Hezbollah used Lebanese civilians as human shields to prevent the IDF from firing at gunmen and rocket launchers.^[8] Human Rights Watch conducted its own investigation and reported that it "found no cases in which Hezbollah deliberately used civilians as shields to protect them from retaliatory IDF attack."^[9] Combatants Hezbollah Lebanon Amal[2] LCP[3] PFLP-GC[4]  Israel Commanders Hassan Nasrallah Dan Halutz Moshe Kaplinsky[11] Udi Adam Strength 600-1,000 active fighters 3,000-10,000 reservists[5] Up to 10,000 ground troops. ... For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ...

Hezbollah also used Lebanese homes as sites for rocket launchers, usually without the home-owner's knowledge or permission, putting large numbers of civilians at risk.^[10] Human Rights Watch wrote that "Hezbollah occasionally did store weapons in or near civilian homes and fighters placed rocket launchers within populated areas or near U.N. observers, which are serious violations of the laws of war because they violate the duty to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties."^[9]

On July 25, 2006, Israeli forces attacked and destroyed an U.N. observer post in southern Lebanon, resulting in four deaths.^[11] One of the fatalities, Canadian Major Paeta Derek Hess-von Kruedener, had sent an e-mail to his former commander, retired Major-General Lewis MacKenzie, several days before his death in which he described the Israeli bombardment, writing "The closest artillery has landed within 2 meters of our position and the closest 1000 lb aerial bomb has landed 100 meters from our patrol base. This has not been deliberate targeting, but rather due to tactical necessity." MacKenzie interpreted this language for a reporter: "What that means is, in plain English, 'We've got Hezbollah fighters running around in our positions, taking our positions here and then using us for shields and then engaging the (Israeli Defence Forces).'"^[12][13] is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aftermath of IDF airstrike on UN patrol base Khiam, Lebanon, 2006. ... UNTSO is an acronym for United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, an organization founded in 1948 for peacekeeping in the Middle East. ... Major-General Lewis MacKenzie, C.M., CMM, MSC (and bar), O.Ont , CD, (born April 30, 1940) is a retired Canadian general and writer. ...

Tactic in peace campaigning

In recent years civilian volunteers have attempted to use themselves as human shields to prevent military conflict. In January 2003, anti-war activists organised Human Shield Action to Iraq in advance of the 2003 invasion. Ultimately, Human Shield Action brought 200 Westerners to Iraq. Many of them left as they ran out of money and the likelihood of war became greater.^[14][15] This article is about parties opposing to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the Iraq War from outside Iraq. ... A group of anti-Iraq War civilians from Western nations travelled to Iraq, hoping to act as human shields so that the U.S.-led coalition troops would be unable to bomb certain locations during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. ... This article is about the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ...

Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall, Western International Solidarity Movement volunteers in the Palestinian territories, who died in 2003 and 2004 respectively while trying to disrupt IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, have been described as human shields. Some ISM volunteers strongly object to the use of the term human shield to describe their work.^{[citation needed]} Rachel Corrie Rachel Corrie (April 10, 1979 – March 16, 2003) was an American member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who traveled to the Gaza Strip during the Al-Aqsa Intifada. ... Thomas Tom Hurndall (November 29, 1981 – January 13, 2004) was a British photography student, member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and an activist against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. ... For information on the Polish trade union, see Solidarity. ... This article is about the Palestinian territories as a geopolitical phenomenon. ...

Other uses

Some lesser used instances of human shields include literally using a human as a physical barrier against bullets. If the shooter values the person used as a human shield, then this also makes the shooter less likely to fire, or it makes the shooter fire later and less often. Human shields have also been used in videogames like Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid, and Hitman: Blood Money in which the player is able to grab civilians and enemies from behind and use them as a human shield. An image from the original Splinter Cell Splinter Cell is a series of video games endorsed by American author Tom Clancy. ... This article is about the original Metal Gear Solid released for the PlayStation. ... 47 disguised. ...

See also

• Civilian casualties
• Hostage
• Urban warfare
• Close Quarters Battle
• Human rights in the Palestinian National Authority, particularly Human rights in the Palestinian National Authority#Exposure of civilian targets to military action
• Human rights in Israel, particularly Human rights in Israel#Human shields
• Tank (computer gaming)

Civilian casualties is a military term describing civilian, non-combatant persons killed or injured by direct military action. ... For other uses, see Hostage (disambiguation). ... Urban warfare is a modern warfare conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. ... It has been suggested that Mêlée be merged into this article or section. ... This article outlines the human rights record of the Palestinian Authority leadership in the West Bank and Gaza. ... This article outlines the human rights record of the Palestinian Authority leadership in the West Bank and Gaza. ... The State of Israel is a multiparty parliamentary democracy and the worlds only Jewish state, though its population includes citizens from many different ethnic and religious backgrounds. ... The State of Israel is a multiparty parliamentary democracy and the worlds only Jewish state, though its population includes citizens from many different ethnic and religious backgrounds. ... For other uses, see Tank (disambiguation). ...

External links

Human shields historically

• Human shields used in WWI

Human shields in Iraq

• Truth Justice Peace Human Shields - Iraq 2003

Human shields in Israel/Palestine

• BBC NEWS | In pictures: Palestinian 'human shields'
• 12 year old Palestinian boy used as human shield by israeli soldiers in 2004 (Norwegian article with picture of a boy sitting, untied ontop a jeep), written by Erlend Fernandez Stedding) [1]
• Hamas Urges Women, Children to Shield Gunmen in Mosque (2006)
• Beit Hanoun: Women act as human shields YNet, Israel - Nov 5, 2006
• Terrorists Hide Behind Civilians
• PALESTINIAN ARABS ONCE AGAIN USE WOMEN AND CHILDREN AS HUMAN ...Dafka - Nov 5, 2006
• GAZA STRIP: Palestinians use women as human shields Peoria Journal Star, IL - Nov 3, 2006
• Women acting as human shields aid escape of Palestinian militants Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 3, 2006
• Using ambulances for terrorism (Dec. 2003)
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Human shields used by the Taliban

• Brainwashed children plead to die as martyrs in Red Mosque siege, Times Online, UK July 8, 2007

Notes

1. ^ Israel and the Occupied Territories Shielded from scrutiny: IDF violations in Jenin and Nablus. Amnesty International (2002-11-04). Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
2. ^ Human Rights Watch, Jenin: IDF Military Operations, VII. Human Shielding and the Use of Civilians for Military Purposes, May 2002.
3. ^ ^{a b} B'Tselem, "20 July 2006: Israeli Soldiers use civilians as Human Shields in Beit Hanun", July 20, 2006.
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Israel Probes "Human Shield" Allegations", CBS News, April 11, 2007.
5. ^ "Women acting as human shields aid escape of Palestinian militants", Los Angeles Times, November 3, 2006.
6. ^ Gaza: Use of human shields continues", The Jerusalem Post, November 19, 2006.
7. ^ "Israelis use Palestinian as human shield", The Denver Post, April 12, 2007.
8. ^ "Photos that damn Hezbollah", Herald Sun, July 30, 2006.
9. ^ ^{a b} Human Rights Watch, Fatal Strikes: Israel’s Indiscriminate Attacks Against Civilians in Lebanon, Summary, August 2006.
10. ^ "Deadly Hezbollah chess match", The Washington Times, October 26, 2006.
11. ^ "Israeli bomb kills UN observers", BBC News, July 26, 2006.
12. ^ "Hezbollah was using UN post as 'shield'", Ottawa Citizen, July 27, 2006.
13. ^ "Annan's Claims On Casualties May Unravel", The New York Sun, July 27, 2006.
14. ^ "Human shield Britons quit Baghdad", The Telegraph, March 2, 2003
15. ^ "UK bus owner defends Iraq trip", CNN.com, March 4, 2003.