They used his body for cover.
I spoke to Waleed*, a Palestinian from northern Gaza, less than six months after he forcibly became a human shield – not by Hamas, as Israel likes to claim, but by Israeli soldiers themselves.
It was March, and Waleed, after previously evacuating his wife and young son to Rafah, had taken shelter in Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City – the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. His home had been destroyed, and he wanted to find a stable internet connection so he could continue working as a freelancer, he explained. In Al Shifa, he also thought he could better take care of a family friend who lost both of his legs as a result of an Israeli bomb.
But on March 18, Waleed, who’s in his thirties, awoke to the sound of heavy gunfire. The Israeli army had invaded the hospital and would not allow anyone to leave. This was the second major invasion of Al Shifa Hospital – the first had occurred in November 2023. …..more
