According to an investigation by Ha-Makom, in May 2024 during the Israeli invasion of Gaza's Zeitoun neighborhood, a senior officer of the Israeli Nahal Brigade forced an 80-year-old Palestinian elder, who relies on a walking stick, to serve as a human shield by ordering him to clear homes in the area for eight hours.
Israeli forces discovered the elderly Palestinian in his home alongside his wife. When they explained that they were unable to evacuate due to their health and inability to walk to the nearest humanitarian zone, a senior officer decided to use the man as a human shield.
He tied an explosive fuse around his neck and warned, "If he does something wrong, the person behind him will pull the rope and his head will detach from his body." That's how he was forced to walk with them for eight hours.
Later, the battalion ordered the elderly couple to walk to a humanitarian area without notifying a second battalion, which, 100 meters away, shot them on the spot, killing them in the street.
