‘Our lives are more important than their lives’: Gazans not suspected of terrorism are detained and sent as human shields to search tunnels and houses before IDF soldiers enter, with the full knowledge of senior Israeli officers, several sources say; IDF claims this practice is forbidden

There is also evidence that in some cases, minors or the elderly are used. “There were times when really old people were made to go into houses,” one combat soldier said. If the Palestinian knows Hebrew, that’s an advantage for the IDF; when Gazans are used in buildings and tunnels, they need to report to the forces outside.

As one soldier put it, Palestinians are told: “Do one mission of … a [tunnel] shaft and you’re free.”

Still, even though some Palestinians are required to remain with a unit “only” for 24 hours, others wind up staying for two days or even a week. “When you’re inside this thing, you don’t know how to say what’s okay,” the soldier said. “What’s certain is that it’s a horrible feeling.”