human shields

The "Mosquito Protocol" or "Mosquito Procedure" refers to the practice by Israeli armed war belligerents of systematically using Palestinian civilians as human shields during military operations in Gaza, but also in the occupied West Bank.

The term is a colloquial name for the practice of forcing Palestinian civilians to walk ahead of soldiers who use the victim to shield themselves from acts of resistance. This practice has been widely reported by human rights groups, media outlets, and the Israeli veterans' group called Breaking the Silence, which collects testimonies from former Israeli soldiers

"Mosquito Protocol" or "Mosquito Procedure" is dehumanizing as it reflects the view that these Palestinians were considered expendable, akin to "mosquitoes" The view is similar to "We are fighting human animals" from Yoav Gallant in his justification to use starvation as a weapon of war.

International law strictly prohibits the use of civilians as human shields, classifying it as a war crime. This prohibition is a fundamental rule of international humanitarian law (IHL) applicable to all armed conflicts, both international and non-international.

International law, particularly International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Criminal Law (ICL), strictly prohibits acts like torture, rape, abuse, and mistreatment of civilians and combatants by any belligerent in armed conflict, classifying them as grave breaches, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, punishable under treaties like the Geneva Conventions and Rome Statute, aiming to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable regardless of their status.

When acts and or activities by the Israeli war belligerent targeting the colonized people in Gaza are systematic, and or are on a large scale, we consider these acts and activities as shown in the 'breadcrumbs'. This does not include violations, which refer to breaches of rules and international law.
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