Report on Hamas' use of human shields in Gaza

https://stratcomcoe.org/cuploads/pfiles/hamas_human_shields.pdf

Hamas' most common uses of human shields include:

* Firing rockets, artillery, and mortars from or in proximity to heavily
populated civilian areas, often from or near facilities which should be
protected according to the Geneva Convention (e.g. schools, hospitals,
or mosques).

* Locating military or security-related infrastructures such as HQs, bases,
armouries, access routes, lathes or defensive positions within or in proximity
to civilian areas.

* Protecting terrorists' houses and military facilities, or rescuing terrorists
who were besieged or warned by the IDF.

* Combating the IDF from or in proximity to residential and commercial areas,
including using civilians for intelligence gathering missions.

By engaging in these acts, Hamas employs a win-win scenario: if indeed the IDF
uses kinetic power, and the number of civilian causalities surges, Hamas can
use that as a weapon in the lawfare it conducts. It would be able to accuse
the IDF (and Israel) of committing war crimes, which in turn could result in
the imposition of a wide array of sanctions. On the other hand, if the IDF limits
its use of military power in Gaza to avoid collateral damage, Hamas will be less
vulnerable to Israeli attacks, and thereby able to protect its assets while
continuing to fight.